The extended Formula 1 season began with a rather uneventful race in Bahrain GP, where Max Verstappen dominated from start to finish, securing his 55th career victory. 

He demonstrated his dominance by setting a fastest lap 1.4s quicker than anyone else, achieving his fifth career Grand Chelem and joining the ranks of Alberto Ascari and Michael Schumacher. It marked the first occurrence since Schumacher in the 2004 Australian Grand Prix where such an event was documented in the opening race of the season.

Aside from Verstappen, the drivers faced a challenging Saturday at Bahrain GP in Sakhir with gripes and gremlins affecting the grid. In two cases, situations escalated from bad to worse.

Out of the previous 24 races, Verstappen has emerged victorious in 20. The impressive streak of 10 consecutive victories from Miami to Italy last season is now within reach, with Bahrain marking his eighth win in a row. One year ago, the victory margin was 12 seconds over Sergio Perez. This time, the gap widened to 22 seconds, with a consistent lead of almost a second per lap on occasions. 

Labeling it as simple would be a misconception, as excelling at this caliber in the pinnacle of competitive sports is exceptional. Maybe no sportsman has ever achieved such unwavering consistency and secured victory after victory effortlessly. 
Even during the Lewis Hamilton era, there were times when he experienced off-weekends or races where everything seemed to go wrong. He never achieved such high levels. 

It's quite impressive that with the current cars expected to continue into 2025, Verstappen could very well become a five-time champion by the time the new rules come into play in 2026.

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