"We can definitely fight with this" - Max Verstappen raises title hopes after dominating victory at 2023 F1 Bahrain GP

Max Verstappen put in a dominant performance to win the 2023 F1 Bahrain GP on Sunday. The Dutchman's performance has boosted his chances of securing a third consecutive title in the sport come the end of the year.

Verstappen started the season opener in pole position after putting in a stellar performance in Saturday's qualifying. The Red Bull driver successfully kept his teammate Sergio Perez behind him at the start of the race on Sunday, showing off his stellar driving in the process.

The Dutchman thwarted his rivals in 2022, winning his second consecutive title with 15 race wins last year. By winning the season opener in Bahrain, Max Verstappen has finally broken his long-time curse of not winning the race in Sakhir.

Speaking about his chances in 2023, Verstappen told Nico Rosberg in Parc Ferme:

"It was a very very good first stint where I basically my gap. From there it was all about just looking after the tyres because you never really know what's going to happen later on the race so we just wanted to make sure we had the right tyres in good condition. Very happy to also finally win here also in Bahrain".

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Max Verstappen lauded by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase

Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has acknowledged that the Dutchman is really easy to work with. Lambiase, also known as GP, has played a crucial role in helping the 25-year-old become the formidable driver he is today.

Max Verstappen has claimed in the past that he can't see himself in the sport without Lambiase, who works behind the scenes. Lambiase is the man who gives the Red Bull driver all the information and data he needs.

Lambiase claims the two-time world champion has the perfect mix of an analytical yet natural feel for racing. He explained in the Red Bulletin Heroes Verstappen Edition magazine:

“The relationship between a driver and a race engineer is based on mutual trust. The more direct a driver is, the more he trusts the team. My experience is that if a driver stops giving his honest opinion about the car and starts circling it, the results get worse. Max is direct, but so am I. That makes working with him very open, honest, and easy.”

Lambiase continued:

“Some drivers want to get to the bottom of the data, while others don't want to be involved at all. And then there's Max. He explains very precisely where he can push the car to the limit and what exactly he needs to drive faster.

With Verstappen having started off the season with a win, it will be interesting to see whether the Red Bull driver can secure his third consecutive title in the sport.