The 2024 Formula 1 opening weekend in Bahrain actually produced almost only losers. Even Red Bull couldn’t really be happy about winning the first race of the new season. Because the discussions about Christian Horner on the sidelines of the Grand Prix overshadowed a Verstappen victory, about which doubts actually only arose temporarily.
Loser: The sport
Admittedly, this headline may seem bold and somewhat provocative. It is also not intended to diminish the sporting success of Verstappen and Red Bull. But for the external image of Formula 1, especially towards casual spectators of the premier class, the 2024 season could hardly have got off to a worse start. The pecking order at the top is clear and follows on from the previous year almost seamlessly; there were no surprises.
The race could hardly have been more boring. Of course, the fact that it took place on a Saturday is never ideal for the broad viewer base who appreciates usual start times (and days). The ratings were accordingly poor – especially for a start to the season: 1.9 million viewers watched the race on RTL’s comeback, and in 2022 there were over two million each on four broadcasts. The ratings on Sky collapsed by more than half, and the number of viewers on ServusTV also shrank from 643,000 to 445,000.
Of course, there is also the issue surrounding Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. The acquittal, the email with allegedly incriminating evidence, the comments of the other team bosses, the appearance of wife Geri Halliwell and the Thai Red Bull owner Chalerm Yoovidhya on Sunday and, to top it off, a massive argument with Jos Verstappen, including his expulsion -Demands from the world champion father. Perfect stories for the tabloids. For sports, however, less so.
Christian Horner is absolutely certain: I will remain Red Bull team boss
Winner: Max Verstappen
Not everything went smoothly at the Formula 1 opener in Bahrain. In qualifying, Red Bull was only on par with Ferrari, but in training there were problems with the gearshift and other small things. But when it came down to it, everything was ‘business as usual’ again: Verstappen on pole, Verstappen wins the start and Verstappen does his laps alone at the front. It takes a lot of courage to bet against him as Formula 1 world champion after this start. If the Dutchman doesn’t get injured in the 2024 season or is out longer for other reasons, who will pose a serious threat to him? The combination of the best driver in the best car is inevitably a tension killer. The F1 field can still be so close together in 2024.
Verstappen doesn’t trust Red Bull’s dominance: it can’t always run like that
Loser: Mercedes
It’s not all bad with the Silvers (or should we call them “Silver-Blacks?” given their paint scheme). Qualifying was good on one side of the garage, as was George Russell’s start phase. But otherwise, more went wrong than right. Lewis Hamilton’s setup was already overgrown before qualifying, and the hoped-for jump in performance in the race failed to materialize. Mysterious heat development in the Mercedes engine, which also occurred at Williams, took George Russell out of the fight for the top 3. There were also battery problems for Hamilton. And by the way, the seat of the record world champion also broke.
Next Mercedes bankruptcy! New F1 Silver Arrow too bad?: (09:55 mins)
Winner: Haas
Rarely has a zero number left fewer worry lines than at Haas this weekend. The predicted last place, it didn’t happen. Ayao Komatsu’s team is fighting well in the midfield and was even represented in Q3 with Nico Hülkenberg. But above all: tire wear was not an issue in Bahrain. It’s even bearable that Nico Hülkenberg’s accident at the start meant that the chance for the last point went down the drain early on.
Hülkenberg struggles with starting accident in Bahrain: Deprived of Formula 1 points?
Loser: Alpine
The ominous forebodings from Enstone and Viry-Chatillon have come to pass in Bahrain. Not only that, things went even worse than Alpine would have thought before the season. The A524 is already a failed project. Ten kilograms overweight and a weak engine result in a total of only 19th and 20th place on the grid. The pace on one lap was still flattering compared to the race performance. On Saturday it was also announced that Head of technology Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer have thrown in the towel. The Renault show, which is unworthy of a factory team, has reached its lowest point in the ninth season.
Winner: Tim Tramnitz
As already mentioned at the beginning of this article: There weren’t many real winners in Formula 1 this weekend. That’s why we’re taking the liberty of putting on our German glasses for a moment and taking a look at the youth sector. Because Tim Tramnitz really deserves a mention in this section. On his first Formula 3 weekend, he was at the front of both races and even achieved a podium in the main race. Hardly anyone expected such a strong debut. We can only take our hats off to that.
Tim Tramnitz in an interview after his dream debut in Bahrain: Don’t put any pressure on me
Loser: Raging Bulls
We owe Yuki Tsunoda the fact that the newly christened racing bulls allowed us to play such a word game on the first weekend of their existence. The Japanese once again lived up to his reputation as a hothead after he was upset about a team order from the team from Faenza. At first he reluctantly let his teammate Daniel Ricciardo pass, complained on the pit radio and then made another unnecessary maneuver on the run-off lap. Yes, team orders can be frustrating. But Yuki, it was about 13th place and not a single point. Do you really have to escalate like that? But regardless of this campaign, the weekend was rather disappointing. After the test drives, many had RB on their list as a candidate for points. In Bahrain, the small Red Bull team was only the eighth team.
Next team order drama in Formula 1: Yuki Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls pillory