Summary

  • Red Bull one-two as Verstappen dominates, with Perez 2nd

  • Sainz 3rd, Leclerc 4th, Russell 5th, Norris 6th, Hamilton 7th

  • Season-opening race

  • Max Verstappen backs Red Bull boss Christian Horner over allegations as wife Geri attends race

  • Get involved #bbcf1

Live Reporting

Gary Rose

  1. Harry Benjamin
    BBC F1 Commentator

    Leclerc is bullish here with his team-mate despite the Monegasque struggling with his tyres quite publicly, is not willing to move over and let Sainz through.

  2. It is deja vu as Carlos Sainz was behind Charles Leclerc again after those first stops but he overtakes his team-mate for the second time in the race to get into fourth.

    Sergio Perez, in second, is the fastest man on the track as Max Verstappen pits from the lead.

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    Larry Jay: This is the best I have seen the Mercedes move in the last three seasons. It usually looks so stiff, they have clearly put in some decent thought and effort. Kudos to them.

  4. Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    He's (Leclerc) not just been struggling on these tyres, he's been struggling on the soft tyre as well so it doesn't matter what compound he is on at the moment.

  5. Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon, who were temporarily up to second and third, finally follow the rest of the field in making their first stop.

    Only driver left on the same rubber they started with is race leader Max Verstappen.

    max verstappenGetty Images

  6. Team radio - Leclerc to Ferrari

    Leclerc: "I just cannot get out of front locking everywhere."

  7. Lewis Hamilton is down in 10th and has an issue with his battery, reporting it is down to just one percent...

  8. Great move by Sergio Perez as he threatens to move on the inside of George Russell but then switches swiftly to muscle his way through on the outside and is ahead of Mercedes into fourth with just those yet to stop ahead of him.

  9. Sergio Perez has got the fresh rubber working immediately and he's eyeing an attack on George Russell...

  10. Rosanna Tennant
    5 Live F1 reporter

    It's all go in the pitlane, cars diving in left, right and centre, plenty of action for the mechanics to be getting on with after the winter break, let's hope they are not too rusty.

  11. 'That was so close to contact but they managed to keep it clean'

    Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Ferrari were probably pushed right on the edge of their seats watching their two drivers heading down into Turn One there and rightly so because that was so close to contact but they managed to keep it clean, as Sainz has already start to streak away from Leclerc.

  12. Charles Leclerc, who has been struggling on his tyres for a while, is among those to pit and he's onto hards and back out in 13th. There's several others also onto hards.

    Sergio Perez, elevated to second, follows George Russell in pitting but is back out behind the Mercedes.

  13. 'He's struggling with grip'

    Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Leclerc's car is snaking on exit four and he had a lock up front. We heard him on the team radio saying we are going for plan A. I don't know what that is, but that's the one they're going with. I won't be surprised if we get a radio message from Sainz saying I'm faster. Leclerc will want to try stay at the front, but it certainly looks like he's struggling with grip.

  14. George Russell pits from second and that also prompts a flurry of drivers to do likewise.

  15. Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    He's (Logan Sargeant) got going again so maybe he locked up or had an issue somewhere along the line, it was very bizarre so we will wait and see what we can find out about that.

  16. Carlos Sainz has had enough of being behind his team-mate, who he feels is slower than him and attacks into Turn One. They battle wheel-to-wheel but Sainz gets through and can now focus on chasing down Sergio Perez.

    carlos sainzGetty Images
  17. yellow flag

    Yellow flag

    This doesn't look good for Logan Sargeant. He's parked up just off the track.

  18. Carlos Sainz is desperate to get the OK to move ahead of Charles Leclerc, who locks up ahead of his Ferrari team-mate.

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    Andrew Priestley: George Russell looking very punchy in these opening stages. I wonder if he’s taking too much performance out of his tyres too early though.

    Sho: Max already 4 seconds ahead. Just crown his 2024 champion now.

  20. Max Verstappen is probably starting to run through what he will have for dinner later in his head now because he's in a race of his own here. He's 6.5 seconds ahead of George Russell.

    Max VerstappenGetty Images