Red Bull takes blame for slow Verstappen F1 outlaps

Verstappen ran second through the opening stint of the race in Bahrain, dropping almost four seconds behind race leader Charles Leclerc before pitting at the end of lap 14.

Leclerc responded by pitting one lap later, but Verstappen had managed to close the gap, leading to a tight wheel-to-wheel battle between the two drivers for the next few laps.

Verstappen pitted earliest again at the second round of stops, but could not bridge the gap to Leclerc this time, prompting an…