Max Verstappen made a crushingly dominant start to the 2024 Formula 1 season by obliterating the opposition in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Verstappen nicked pole position by a couple of tenths in qualifying but it was a pole fight Ferrari and Charles Leclerc could have won in slightly different circumstances.

There was no doubt in Saturday's grand prix over the victor with Verstappen holding his lead down to Turn 1 and never once relinquishing it across the 57-lap affair.

He was able to leave his first pitstop later than anybody else having built a sizeable safety cushion of a lead in the opening 17 laps.

Verstappen incrementally increased his lead, seemingly at ease with his Red Bull RB20 and likely with pace in hand with no sight of a challenge behind him.

He ultimately won by 22.4 seconds, took the fastest lap bonus point and extended his grand prix winning streak to eight.

Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez couldn't threaten Verstappen but he did a perfect job of completing the Red Bull 1-2.

Having qualified fifth, Perez picked off Carlos Sainz into Turn 1 on the first lap before pouncing on the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc on lap seven after Leclerc locked up at the tricky Turn 9-10 left-hander.