MOTORSPORT: Red Bull dominates Formula 1 opener
Bahrain F1 Grand Prix proves off-season Aston Martin performance lift, but Red Bull the team to beatFor the first time in his Formula 1 career, Max Verstappen has claimed victory in the season-opening Grand Prix, leading home a convincing one-two for Red Bull in Bahrain with Sergio Perez second.
Outside of the continuation of business as usual at the head of the pack, the two main talking points of the race revolved around the retirement of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari due to an engine issue, plus the improvement in performance from the Aston Martin squad, with the team’s new recruit Fernando Alonso putting on a masterclass to finish third.
For Verstappen, it was the perfect start to his title defence after claiming 15 wins throughout 2022.
“It was a very good first stint where I basically made my gap, and from there onwards it was all about just looking after my tyres, because you never know what is going to happen later in the race,” said Verstappen.
“So, we just wanted to make sure that we had the right tyres and in good condition as well.
“Of course, very happy to get my first win here also in Bahrain.”
Verstappen led the field away at the start from pole position, while the first major drama of the race inflicted Aussie Oscar Piastri, who had to swap his steering wheel on his lap 14 of 57 pit stop.
However, the car never returned to the circuit, with an electrical issue relegating the debutant to last on the result sheet, while his teammate Lando Norris was classified two laps off the pace following a pneumatic issue, capping a miserable race for McLaren.
After the first round of pit stops, Perez forged past Leclerc for second on lap 26, while Esteban Ocon had a horror race, his Alpine receiving a total of 20sec of penalties for lining up on the grid incorrectly, then serving the original penalty wrongly, before finally speeding in the pit lane.
The Frenchman later retired on lap 41.
Leclerc then parked trackside from third position with a power unit issue, necessitating a virtual safety car, while Alonso carved past both Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-AMG) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) to claim third behind the Red Bulls.
Sainz was ultimately classified in fourth ahead of Hamilton, Lance Stroll showed that the Aston Martin pace is genuine by finishing sixth, despite racing with a broken wrist, then George Russell (Mercedes-AMG), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), with Alex Albon rounding out the points for Williams in 10th.
Next up on the F1 schedule is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from March 17-19.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix results:
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- George Russell, Mercedes-AMG
- Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- Alex Albon, Williams
- Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
- Logan Sargeant, Williams
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas
- Nyck De Vries, AlphaTauri
- Nico Hülkenberg, Haas
- Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- DNF. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
- DNF. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- DNF. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
2023 Formula 1 championship standings:
- Max Verstappen, 25
- Sergio Perez, 18
- Fernando Alonso, 15
- Carlos Sainz, 12
- Lewis Hamilton, 10
- Lance Stroll, 8
- George Russell, 6
- Valtteri Bottas, 4
- Pierre Gasly, 2
- Alex Albon, 1
Related: MOTORSPORT: Ford returns to F1 with Red Bull
Related: MOTORSPORT: Red Bull F1 set for Bathurst 12 Hour
Related: MOTORSPORT: Ricciardo returns to Red Bull
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