The race is on, and the Bahrain Grand Prix didn't disappoint with a dramatic finish and a superb victory for Lewis Hamilton in a race that seemed destined to be won by Max Verstaffin.

What a start to the title battle we all so desperately want to see. I'm Ed Straw,

and joining me to look back at one of the best season opening races of the 21st century,

as Scott Mitchell and Mark Hughes. The Race F1 podcast is brought to you by Escapade Living.

Escapade is redefining the race experience through the integration of hospitality,

track access and lifestyle. Escapade Silverstone will overlook the famous Copts Corner and Maggates

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Scott Mitchell, plenty of escapades going on at the Bahrain Grand Prix, weren't there? Fantastic on track action.

Yeah, very good.

I see what you did there, Ed.

It was brilliant.

I'm trying to think of a season opener that i've enjoyed as much as that in in recent years i can't really think of one i know

that we had um we had some pretty good ones didn't we went especially the ferrari's when

sebastian vettel was was was nick in a first race win that were good but nothing like

that and I was actually amazed to learn post-race Lewis's first opening race win since 2015

which just feels ridiculous and Mark it's just great isn't it we talked on the podcast so many

times in the build-up to the season just just how much we wanted to have Vastappen and Hamilton battling. And there's always that thinking of, oh, it's going to be too good to be true. But then we had it in this race, didn't we? Right down to the checkered flag, Hamilton versus Vastappen, a race will remember for a long time. Yeah, and it was the outcome was in doubt pretty much the whole way through, wasn't it?

Which was just fantastic. was stab and a race will remember for a long time yeah and it was the outcome was in doubt pretty

much the whole way through wasn't it which was just fantastic um and yeah i think the red bull

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