Fear not, Formula 1 fans – there could still be a title race this year despite how dominant Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team were in Bahrain.
That is the perhaps slightly hopeful view of Emerson Fittipaldi, who knows a thing or two about winning himself. The Brazilian has as many F1 drivers' titles to his name as Verstappen – though the early signs indicate that the Dutchman might be one ahead by the end of this season.
Everyone knew the Red Bull cars would be the ones to beat, but their performance advantage was even greater than their rivals feared. Verstappen crossed the finish line 38 seconds up the road from the nearest car which didn't have Red Bull logos on it, and that was with him spending half of the race just cruising rather than pushing.
George Russell saw enough in that one race to make a rather bold claim. He said: "Red Bull have got this championship sewn up. I don't think anybody is going to be fighting with them this year. I expect them to – or they should – win every single race this season."
His view will add to the concerns of many F1 fans there there may be no title race at all this year. But Fittipaldi, who won the 1972 and 1974 F1 titles, thinks the man who finished in third place in Bahrain might be able to challenge.
" Fernando Alonso's podium was an unexpected one," the 76-year-old told VegasInsider. "I think Aston Martin's performance even surprised Fernando and everyone in the team."
"If you look at the mid-corners and slow-speed corners, Fernando was able to have different lines than the competitors. That means he had extra some grip there. When he overtook, he was very manoeuvrable on the slow, mid-speed corners. That means the car has a very good grip and handling."
And with Lance Stroll also scoring good points despite racing with pins in his fractured wrist, Fittipaldi thinks Aston Martin could be in the fight. He added: "Stroll was quick. With all the problems he's had, he was running very strong, very quickly. That means they'll be a challenge in this year's championship. No doubt."
Aston Martin will have to find even more performance to mount a serious challenge, though they have promised an extensive upgrades programme this year which could do the trick. Alonso said: "This car will change dramatically in the season – that's the plan. I heard from the team that two-thirds of this car will change during the season."
