Harry Benjamin says Max Verstappen put 23-pole rival ‘in his place’ in Bahrain

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Max Verstappen put F1 rival Charles Leclerc ‘in his place’ at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, BBC commentator Harry Benjamin says.

Reigning world champion and Red Bull driver Verstappen lined up alongside Ferrari star Leclerc on the front row of the grid in Sakhir after out-pacing him by two tenths in qualifying.

Verstappen quickly moved over to his right to cover off the threat of the Prancing Horse when the lights went out, and Benjamin says it was authoritative driving.

Leclerc struggled with braking issues during the race and ended up going backwards, finishing fourth after Sergio Perez and teammate Carlos Sainz got past.

Verstappen, meanwhile, coasted to victory with a margin of 22 seconds in a lights-to-flag triumph.

While Leclerc was unable to win a Grand Prix last season, he did beat the Dutchman to pole position five times.

Only Verstappen (12) was fastest in qualifying more often than the Monegasque, who has bagged 23 poles overall.

Leclerc ended up finishing fifth in the 2023 standings on 206 points, level with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso.

Harry Benjamin says Max Verstappen laid down early marker over Charles Leclerc

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Chequered Flag podcast, Benjamin said Verstappen smartly thwarted Leclerc’s only real opportunity to snatch the race lead.

“Verstappen dominated this,” he said (01:10). “Off the line, down into turn one, he immediately took the defensive line, put Leclerc in his place.

“Leclerc didn’t really get another chance from the front row of the grid to challenge Verstappen with anything, and then he just pulled away.”

Leclerc will hope to reignite Verstappen rivalry

Leclerc and Verstappen were last genuine competitors at the front during the 2022 season, when the Ferrari man was able to win two of the first three races.

Red Bull would then seize the advantage and take the chequered flag in 16 of the last 19 events.

Leclerc tasted his only victory during that sequence at the Austrian Grand Prix, and he hasn’t been able to win since.

However, Ferrari showed some signs of promise in Bahrain with Leclerc’s front-row start and Sainz’s podium-finish.

The SF-24 appears to be the second-fastest car on the grid at this stage, and Leclerc will hope to be the one to capitalise if Red Bull run into trouble or unexpectedly struggle in any future rounds.