Verstappen credits victory to dominant F1 Bahrain GP start

The two-time champion kicked off his title defence in imperious fashion by scoring his first win at the Bahrain International Circuit by 11.9s over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

Despite starting on used softs compared to Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc’s brand-new Pirellis, Verstappen escaped DRS range and boasted a 1.8s lead at the end of the second lap.

He then stretched his rubber a lap longer than Leclerc before pitting for another set of softs.

With the…