Verstappen opens with a win as Red Bull takes 1-2 in Bahrain

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Max Verstappen won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position by leading almost the entire race as he opened the defense of his back-to-back Formula One titles. Red Bull clinched a 1-2 with Sergio Perez second while 41-year-old Fernando Alonso took a brilliant third place. He claimed a 99th career podium on a stunning race debut for Aston Martin. It was Verstappen’s 36th career win but the Dutchman’s first at the flood-lit Sakhir circuit, where he retired just laps from the end in last year’s first race.