JEREMY Clarkson waved the black and white flag marking the end of the first F1 race of the season.

The start of the racing season kicked off on Saturday (March 2) with the Bahrain Grand Prix, which saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen taking the win, followed by his teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Waving them over the finish line after 57 laps was the former Top Gear presenter. Commenting about the role on his Instagram, Clarkson, wrote: “I did a thing.”

Many viewers were quick to comment that the presenter, who runs Diddly Squat Farm in Chipping Norton, appeared to be 'sloshed' when interviewed on the grid.

When asked on Instagram how many beers Clarkson had had, he replied: “A s*** load.”

Verstappen eased to a dominant win in the opening race of the season, leading from lights to flag.

But the race was overshadowed by allegations surrounding his team boss Christian Horner.

Horner was exonerated by Red Bull Racing parent’s company, Red Bull GmbH, on Wednesday following an internal probe into allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” made by a female colleague.

Hundreds of WhatsApp messages appearing to be written by him were then leaked to the F1 world a day later.

Horner has remained defiant throughout and put on a show of unity with his Spice Girl wife Geri, as they strode hand-in-hand along the paddock one hour and 45 minutes before the lights went out.