TREMAYNE: Sainz’s storming drive in Bahrain was the perfect response to news of his impending Ferrari exit

Reasons to be cheerful, Pt 3. Remember that old Ian Dury and The Blockheads song? Well, Max Verstappen and Red Bull pretty much carried on where they left off in Abi Dhabi last year, in winning Bahrain’s opening Grand Prix of 2024.

In fact, his margin of victory over team mate Sergio Perez (later penalised in Abu Dhabi) was slightly larger. And from the manner in which the world champion romped away so comfortably it’s tempting to predict another dominant season from Max.