F1 Bahrain Grand Prix

Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominated the 2023 Formula 1 opener in Bahrain, while Fernando Alonso also starred on his Aston Martin debut by finishing on the ...

[PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain GP ](/f1/news/why-f1s-new-rules-cant-yet-be-ruled-a-total-success/10439004/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain GP ](/f1/news/the-critical-red-bull-tactic-ferrari-couldnt-copy-in-verstappens-bahrain-win/10440462/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain GP ](/f1/news/bahrain-grand-prix-driver-ratings-2023/10440571/)

DRIVERS 1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing) 2 – Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing) 3 – Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin)

I think if you have the right people in charge, and they really want to win and they hire the right people, anything is possible. But yeah, this is a great start but we also know that throughout the season you have to keep on developing. I think you mentioned all of it and I think it doesn't matter if it was the previous generation or this one. I think you need to have the vision and the ambition of Lawrence Stroll, or our leadership and our management because the opportunities are there for everybody but it seems that only one team is willing to do whatever it takes to win. We need to learn more from the car, I need to get used to the car. Given the balance issues that we talked about on Friday and Saturday are you surprised to see how big the gap actually is in the first race compared to the first non-Red Bull car? But I think the most important point is that the new Aston Martin is just a new car, a new project. you will get a step back and you will get back to reality. I think the aim in 2023 was, you know, getting the mix in the midfield, maybe leading that midfield and get close to the top three teams eventually. But yeah, we had not the best start today and we had to pass on track. Is that is that the case? It was a great weekend and, yeah, finishing on the podium in the first race of the year, this is just amazing, you know, what Aston Martin did over the winter to have the second best car in race one, this is just unreal.

Max Verstappen using F1 as his personal play-thing, Sergio Perez slightly behind, Mercedes in trouble and Ferrari suffering reliability problems in the race. At ...

It just adds to the gloom at Woking after a poor pre-season hampered by mechanical problems with the wheel brows and an underdeveloped concept. On a positive note, our race pace and performance was good." "Finishing on the podium in the first race of the year is just amazing. It hurts that they are so far ahead; it reminds me of our best years where we put one second on everyone else." It was not good at all; we are lacking pace front, right, and centre. Obviously, there was quite a lot of work done on that [over the winter], but we need to keep working because first race and first reliability problems [is] not good." "That was one of our worst days in racing. The Mercedes era is firmly over and it isn't coming back anytime soon. Yes there are 22 races and six Sprints still to go, but even at this stage, many will believe that Max Verstappen has one hand on the title. Ferrari need to do the basics if they want to beat Verstappen – they could start by finishing. He's now just five wins behind Ayrton Senna and fifth in the all-time wins list. At least there wasn't a strategic faux pas from the Scuderia.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominated the Bahrain Grand Prix, but how will each of the 10 teams be feeling after the opening weekend of the season?

TED'S VERDICT: Pierre Gasly finished P9 from the back and I think that is a jolly good drive to get two points and nearly the fastest lap. But, from the back of the grid, you've got to say a good effort from Nyck de Vries, finishing P14. He's encouraging the team to carry on and get on with it, as is Toto Wolff. He's going to task and inspire his team to build a new car. The answer is 16th. TED'S VERDICT: As Toto Wolff said, 'one of the worst days in racing'. It was a good start from Leclerc. After a winter of development and dreaming, we finally got to see how good - or bad - each car and driver looked. Then he chased and caught Carlos Sainz to finish P3. Fernando pitted on lap 35 and then he chased and caught Lewis Hamilton. TED'S VERDICT: Aston Martin are back on the podium. [Stream the biggest moments on NOW](https://www.nowtv.com/promo/sky-sports?dcmp=articlelink)

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Red Bull's Max Verstappen started the 2023 Formula 1 season as he had finished 2022, scoring an ominously easy win in the season- ...

The final podium place went to a resurgent Fernando Alonso on his first outing for Aston Martin, after surviving contact on Lap 1 from teammate Lance Stroll. But it was a disastrous race for McLaren. Behind the top three, Sainz took fourth, but Ferrari must be concerned at how far off Red Bull's pace they already appear to be. Lewis Hamilton took fifth for Mercedes, whose W14 also does not currently look capable of challenging Red Bull's dominance. "I think we have a good race package. Very happy to also finally win here in Bahrain.

Naturally, the headlines were filled with news of Max Verstappen's dominance, Lewis Hamilton's struggles and Charles Leclerc's misfortune – but there were ...

So they sacrificed [Zhou Guanyu](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/zhou-guanyu) in the late stages of the race. It was an uplifting for the Williams team and one which will give Sargeant plenty of confidence as he finds his feet in F1. It meant he finished 16th, but he was able to snatch the fastest lap award away from Gasly to deny Alpine that extra point. Meanwhile, [Mercedes](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/mercedes-f1) were some way off the podium fight with [Lewis Hamilton](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/lewis-hamilton) once again left to race with a sub-par car. In the race it didn't go our way, but we learned a lot. [Logan Sargeant's](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/logan-sargeant) first qualifying session in F1 came to an unfortunate end as he narrowly missed out on Q2 in Bahrain. However, the Williams race strategy was pivotal and, after leaving the two on the soft compound tyre, Albon was able to grab one point finishing 10th. He travelled to the desert with pins in his broken wrist and also a fractured toe, but still qualified eighth. It was a very encouraging result considering there was severe doubt over his fitness for the race. The American was extremely unlucky to suffered such a fate, but still managed to impress in his debut F1 weekend. Sargeant set a time of 1:31:652 – exactly matching the Brit's final lap in Q1. Aston Martin are undoubtedly showing encouraging signs, with their first podium since Sebastian Vettel's Baku success in 2021.

Esteban Ocon is among the winners and losers from the Bahrain Grand Prix, and you can probably guess which category.

Leclerc got off to a strong start, moving from third to second early in the race, and Ferrari was on the verge of perhaps a very strong day. That early red flag was the only, well, “red flag” their entire week of testing. I just didn’t put the lap together and it’s a shame,” [said Gasly](https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/gasly-no-answers-after-bahrain-gp-qualifying-frustration-for-alpine/10440010/) after qualifying on Saturday. Gasly was the first driver to box during the Grand Prix, and eventually worked his way up to ninth. He came into pit lane to serve the penalty, but shortly after returning to the track, he was informed that his pit crew began working on his car too soon, and thus now faced a ten-second penalty for improperly serving the initial penalty. But he also conceded that those could be weeks away, which means we might see McLaren in this category a few more times before they can truly right the ship. It was a great start and gives us some good hopes for coming races.” [qualifying](https://www.sbnation.com/23584739/the-f1-glossary) session on Saturday and rolled off 20th at the start. Ocon qualified in ninth, but lost two positions through the first few corners of the race, sliding back to 11th on the grid. Before the field heads to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, it is time to take one last look back at the first weekend of F1 action. Verstappen and Red Bull looked strong throughout pre-season testing, leaving the rest of the field wonder if anyone could close the gap early in the year, and that continued into the first race of the season. It was a far cry from last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, which saw both Red Bull drivers fail to finish.

It was a Bahrain Grand Prix to forget for Esteban Ocon after the French driver was not only forced to retire early from the race, but he was also given ...

We were on the way to do it. We were on course to score those points. And speaking after the race, the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix winner was less than impressed with his evening. Pit stopping, stopping at the right places, and these are things that we put a lot of effort on, so everything went wrong today for sure. “Quite impressive how it was not our day today,” said a frustrated Ocon. After pitting to serve the penalty, Ocon then exited at the back of the field, but was later informed that he had been handed a 10-second penalty for failing to serve his penalty correctly – after the Alpine mechanics started work on his car too soon – with a further five seconds added on due to him speeding in the pit lane.

The Alpine driver was initially penalised for an inaccurate start position, then handed a further penalty for failing to serve that penalty properly during a ...

"I don't want to go into details, but usually we are very good on all these operational things. [Get Sky Sports](https://www.sky.com/tv/sports?dcmp=articlelink) [Stream the biggest F1 moments on NOW](https://www.nowtv.com/promo/sky-sports?dcmp=articlelink)

Verstappen is already the heavy favourite for the F1 crown after just one race, Alonso shows class is permanent and Hamilton's Mercedes woes continue - SEVEN ...

THEN he was given another penalty for speeding in the pit lane as he served his second penalty for not serving the first penalty correctly. He subsequently had to retire from the race. It didn't look great when he dropped from fifth to seventh in the first lap after being banged from behind by team-mate Lance Stroll. He rolled back the years all right. What maybe wasn't expected was the extent of Mercedes' struggles. What a driver. A silver lining for those who want to see a more competitive title battle? What a drive. That may be, but on the evidence of Bahrain, there's a lot of work for Vasseur to undo from the error-strewn Mattia Binotto era. A highly frustrating weekend for the Woking team, who had hoped to finally emerge from the 'best of the rest'. Mercedes stuck with the unsuccessful sidepod design from last year - a decision they're already regretting - and though the porpoising is better, Russell reckons focusing on that has been to the detriment of the car in general. The winner of the first race of the season has not gone on to win the title since Nico Rosberg back in 2016.

A dominant victory from Max Verstappen meant the 2023 Formula 1 season begun much as 2022 finished, but away from the one-sided fight at the front there ...

But qualifying was ultimately disappointing, and although it appears to have an edge over the [AlphaTauri](https://www.motorsport.com/team/toro-rosso/12/) and Alfa Romeo squads on pure pace, early optimism could hint at a dash of complacency in the ranks. In the meantime, [Lando Norris](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/lando-norris/289316/) earned six stamps on his pitlane loyalty card during the Bahrain Grand Prix, with a pneumatic leak necessitating frequent top-ups to the air tank to ensure the engine valves could continue to function. We decided to stay in the race, we decided to try and stay at least within one lap from the leader within the last 10 laps. To qualify eighth and then pass the likes of George Russell on the way to a sixth-place finish? Much of Mercedes’ 2022 development was spent on addressing the key fundamental issues that plagued the W13, namely its proclivity to bounce and porpoise like a flailing fish washed up on the shore. Making it to the end of the race would have been quite the feat. There, Alonso placed his car into Turn 8 to get a wider line, and hit the gas to draw along the outside Hamilton in the curved run of track before Turn 10. Detractors would suggest that the Canadian is not really all that invested in being an F1 driver, and that he’s only there because of his dad’s money/team ownership. Now seventh, Alonso settled in for the long haul and watched the Mercedes of George Russell ahead intently, making a note of the degradation that began to afflict the black car. A first tilt at Turn 4 didn’t quite work for Alonso, as he was met with a slap of oversteer that allowed Hamilton to repass, but that only set up the next lap’s sensation. [Max Verstappen](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/max-verstappen/17529/) picked up from where he left off last season, the overall pecking order has been refreshed. Now that the Bahrain Grand Prix is in the books, the 2023 Formula 1 season is officially up and running.

2023 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix report, results, interviews, quotes after the race. Verstappen, Perez, Leclerc, Sainz, Russell, Hamilton, Alonso.

The car is good enough for one-and-a-half-handed, plus big-toe impaired, Lance Stroll (with only a couple of hours of seat time in his new car since his bike crash) to put the Aston eighth on the grid. Fully fit he would for sure be further up than that because the Billionaire’s Son in a good car tends to be a good driver. Credit to the Japanese driver, who was allegedly read the riot act by his Red Bull bosses, as he delivered 14th when it mattered while highly-rated new teammate Nyck de Vries will start his second F1 race from 19th on the grid. To come here and finish on the podium in the first race of the year, it is amazing what Aston Martin did over the winter to have the second best car on race one. Charles Leclerc will give it his best shot, seemingly happy to start third behind Max and could spoil the show if the SF-23 has magic race pace; ditto Carlos Sainz in the other Red car. But they kept him out, while Hamilton was the first of the big hitters to pit on lap 13 at which point Alonso muscled his way past Russell in defence mode, the Aston Martin now in fifth. The F1 World Champs have been oozing confidence since day one of testing, already yesterday, ahead of qualifying, dialing their RB19 in for race pace and still annexing row one after an intriguing session on Saturday. Hardly an ideal start and a harsh reality check for Fred Vasseur after his first race in charge of the Scuderia. Lawrence Stroll’s mega-project is starting to bear fruit if today was anything to go but, a solid car that sticks together even when it bounces off things, and then showed an extremely handy pace late in the race. We had not the best start today and we had to pass on track. You never really know what is going to happen later on in the race so we wanted to have the right tyres in good condition as well. The Driver of the Day without a doubt!

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen picked up where he left off in Abu Dhabi with a commanding drive to victory in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

And to add insult to injury, a five-second penalty came after that, for speeding in the pit lane. He then passed Sainz to move into third for only his second podium in his last 122 Grands Prix. [READ MORE: Quick start and Alfa Romeo’s ‘aggressive’ strategy key to points finish in Bahrain, says Bottas](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.quick-start-and-alfa-romeos-aggressive-strategy-key-to-points-finish-in.4GWOEmA9vyD2CaUb5536Yd.html) [HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix as Verstappen and Red Bull start the new season in style](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.highlights-watch-the-action-from-the-2023-bahrain-grand-prix-as-verstappen.5InXlc5K7kwMCJrMXt0xFr.html) We’ve picked our six winners and five losers from the desert race... Valtteri Bottas scored points in Bahrain for the 10th consecutive time as he guided his Alfa Romeo to eighth, courtesy of a bold strategy that made use of the undercut and some classy attacking racing. It was the second time in his career he’s scored points from last on the grid (the first was when he finished 10th in the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix). [READ MORE: Stroll recounts 'insane journey' from hospital bed to P6 in Bahrain with a broken wrist](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.stroll-recounts-insane-journey-from-hospital-bed-to-p6-in-bahrain-with-a.7ztPCYebLUCp8lUDpCtXYS.html) But while Red Bull had the perfect start to 2023, it wasn't as cheerful for some of their rivals. [READ MORE: ‘We’ve made unbelievable progress’ – Albon thrilled with ‘shock’ points finish for Williams in season opener](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.weve-made-unbelievable-progress-albon-thrilled-after-sealing-shock-points.6ApXZQRgBYVJqev8jhGDAb.html) [READ MORE: Alonso says Bahrain podium ‘a perfect start’ to Aston Martin project as he recounts breathtaking moves on Hamilton and Sainz](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.alonso-says-bahrain-podium-a-perfect-start-to-aston-martin-project-as-he.5MBEwmvbRad34HRNxyjiDm.html) [READ MORE: Verstappen says winning start to 2023 for himself and Red Bull is ‘exactly what we were dreaming of’](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.verstappen-says-winning-start-to-2023-for-himself-and-red-bull-is-exactly.52ayr4i5vpbeKsHw8vv1A0.html)