Bahrain DNF could be “very important” in F1 title fight

Verstappen qualified second in Bahrain and battled with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc through the opening stages, going side-by-side for position after the first round of pit stops.

But after slipping back from Leclerc, Verstappen began to struggle with the steering on his car as he reported a recurring issue, and then noted the car was “s**tting itself” as a fresh issue emerged ahead of the late restart, which turned out to be related to the fuel pump.

Verstappen began to…