The first round of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship in Bahrain was a great race. Although the lead never changed hands, there were epic battles for the podium places, as well as midfield scraps. Reliability issues plagued certain teams in the first race, which ran under green flags for the majority. One of the highlights was the start, where several opportunistic drivers made up places.
It’s Lights Out and Away We Go!
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez of Red Bull were under immediate pressure from the Ferraris’ of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz once the lights went out. Leclerc’s reaction time was quicker than Verstappen’s, and he managed to pass Perez before Turn Two.
Fernando Alonso started P5 in his Aston Martin but dropped back to P7 after contact with his teammate. Lance Stroll was battling with George Russell behind when he went deep into the corner. Alonso was cutting back on Lewis Hamilton to get a better exit when Stroll hit him. Fortunately, the hard contact did not cause any damage to either car, which would have made for a tense start to a new partnership.
The Mercedes of Hamilton and Russell were up to P5 and P6 respectively after contact between the Astons. They were released to chase the Ferraris.
Valtteri Bottas had a brilliant start in his Alfa Romeo. He made up four places on Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Lance Stroll.
A Perfect Weekend for Red Bull
Verstappen didn’t give anyone else a single opportunity to with the race. The two-time world champion executed a seemingly routine light-to-flag victory in Bahrain. His teammate Sergio Perez also drove brilliantly to secure the 1-2.
Leclerc jumped Leclerc at the start, and this allowed Verstappen to get just the gap that he needed to sail off into the distance. After the first round of pitstops, Perez also took soft tires and overtook Leclerc on Lap 26. From there, Perez took on the alternate pit-stop strategy and made it work perfectly. The Mexican driver finished 12 seconds behind Verstappen, and 26 seconds clear of Alonso.
Opening weekends don’t get much better ?? #F1pic.twitter.com/yJa0uFtfxG
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 6, 2023
Red Bull is the benchmark, and other teams will not be in contention for race wins if they don’t make the improvements. Not only is the car fast but it’s well balanced in Bahrain, the same with the Aston Martin.
Ferrari’s Troubles Continue
Ferrari was running in P3 and P4 for most of the race, but they couldn’t secure a podium. After conceding the second position to Perez, Leclerc kept his head down and managed his tires. And then…
“No no no…come on…”
— Ferrari News ? (@FanaticsFerrari) March 5, 2023
Can’t imagine how he’s feeling ? pic.twitter.com/ZFXu8sFrRE
It’s a shame for Leclerc because he had a real opportunity for a podium finish. The retirement moved Sainz to P3 with 16 laps remaining. There was no chance of catching the Verstappen and Perez at that point, but the real threat had just passed Hamilton behind.
Overtaking Master Class by Alonso
Alonso had a challenging start after his Aston Martin teammate, Lance Stroll, made contact with the Spaniard at the apex of Turn Four. Alonso started in the fifth position but dropped back to P7 after the incident.
Both Mercedes cars were ahead of Alonso, and most of the field started the race on soft tires. The two-time world champion was patient and saved his tires until he closed in Russell’s Mercedes. Russell used the life of his tires to stay close to teammate Hamilton, in the hopes that the team would let him through to chase the Ferraris.
Alonso closed in and setup up the move into Turn one on Lap 13. The Aston faked a move down the inside to force the Mercedes to miss the apex and run slightly wide. Then Alonso prepared the exit of Turn Two, and because Russell’s line was compromised, the Spaniard was able to get alongside into the braking zone at Turn Four. The move wasn’t done yet, as Russell fought back on the outside line, but Alonso closed the door into Turn Six.
The new Aston Martin is a great car, and Alonso said over the team radio on the last few laps, “This car is lovely to drive.”
Alonso passed the Alfa Romeo of Bottas who jumped Alonso and Russell in the first round of pitstops. Then he was released to hunt down Hamilton, and it was another example of great car placement.
Alonso ? Hamilton
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 6, 2023
From any angle, this was class ?#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Z4rrjEQVbf
Down the inside at the slow downhill double left-hander! That is a rare overtaking maneuver at the Bahrain International Circuit, as most drivers make their moves in Turns One and Four. Once Alonso passed Hamilton he was P5 in the race until Leclerc’s engine failure from P3 on Lap 41.
Alonso was then up to fourth, and all that was left was to hunt down the vulnerable Ferrari of Sainz. On Lap 45, Alonso tried the same surprise move on Sainz, who was already covering off the inside. A lock-up from Sainz on defense allowed Alonso to make the move stick before the left-hander of Turn 11.
He did it. With a new team, a new car, and at 41 years of age, Fernando Alonso is on the podium again in F1. The Le Mans winner was eager to congratulate his teammate who finished P6. Even more impressive considering that he raced through multiple injuries from a cycling accident that he suffered last week. It was a dream start to the season for Aston Martin.
How did the rookies perform on their F1 Debut?
Logan Sargeant
The new American driver in the Williams had a fantastic debut race. He started in P15 but quickly moved his way up the field behind teammate Alex Albon.
No faffing about, worldie of a first ever F1 race lap from Logan. ??? https://t.co/x7DB2hlOfT
— Tommo (@TwommoF1) March 6, 2023
The 22-year-old finished his first F1 race in P12, which is very impressive for both Sargeant and Williams.
Oscar Piastri
The new McLaren driver from Australia, Oscar Piastri had a miserable debut. His car suffered electrical issues about 14 laps into the Bahrain GP. He did not finish the race.
Nick De Vries
2020-2021 Formula E World Champion, Nick De Vries did well to get the car to the end of the race. He finished in P14 ahead of Hulkenberg, Zhou Guanyu, and Norris, whose McLaren had a strange issue that required the team to stop every 12-15 laps. It was an average debut for De Vries, but as we saw with Piastri, it could be worse.
RACE RESULTS
My name is Morgan Raynal, and I am a writer for Belly Up Racing and Belly Up Sports. You can find me on Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram.
