F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix Race: Christian Horner latest and live build-up with Max Verstappen in pole position ahead of 2024 season opener… but will Geri Halliwell join her husband in the paddock?

Well, it’s finally here. After 97 days, hundreds of leaked messages, and one almighty scandal, Formula 1 is back and more explosive than ever.

Welcome to the Bahrain GP, 2024, a curtain-raiser like no other.

While last season signified dull dominance on Red Bull’s part, this campaign begins as one of the most volatile in history.

On Wednesday, Red Bull’s parent company cleared team principal Christian Horner of ‘coercive behaviour towards a female employee’. And so after a month of tension the sport – and Horner’s marriage to Geri Halliwell – appeared to finally have some fragile peace restored.

Not for long. Within 24 hours, an anonymous email address sent hundreds of WhatsApp messages to leading F1 figures and members of the press. The bombshell email alleged that Horner had sent them, many of an erotic nature, plunging the paddock back into disarray.

There are other reasons why this season starts like few others.

Lewis Hamilton will enjoy a final swansong with Mercedes before pitching up at Red Bull in 2025, leaving Carlos Sainz to scramble for a seat elsewhere. Cue shockwaves on the grid.

This will also be the longest F1 season ever, featuring a staggering 24 races. How’s your stamina?

Mail Sport will be with you every step of the way. Time to get stuck in.