2023 Bahrain Grand Prix - Race Highlights

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix - Race Highlights

Max Verstappen and Red Bull demonstrated their dominance in Bahrain as they claimed victory in the season-opening race. Verstappen took command of proceedings from lap one onward, cruising to an impressive victory in his third attempt at winning the title.

Sergio Perez was just behind in second place, while Mercedes experienced reliability issues and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed again - a repeat of his earlier retirements.

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen and Red Bull kicked off the 2023 Formula 1 season on a high note with an emphatic victory in Bahrain. The Dutchman built up a commanding lead from the start, eventually outpacing teammate Sergio Perez by more than 10 seconds.

Max Verstappen's debut with Red Bull was an unmitigated success for the team, who had already secured title after year with a string of impressive performances. He paid back their faith by qualifying on pole and having an unassailable lead going into the start line of the race.

At the start, there was chaos but two-time world champion Lewis Hamilton remained composed and put away both Mercedes. Hamilton made an impressive move by leapfrogging his teammate and Alonso while Stroll had a disastrous start to his Aston Martin career which culminated with him hitting Alonso's right-rear in Turn 4.

However, the reigning champion dragged it out until lap nine before Leclerc took off and set up for an ideal opening to the season. With a strong getaway, he quickly opened up a gap on Leclerc while Perez followed closely behind.

Ferrari made a valiant effort to close the gap to the leaders, but ultimately couldn't take advantage of Red Bull's soft tyres. On lap 13, Leclerc swapped for hard tyres and kept up an even pace while his teammates attempted to stretch their legs. Unfortunately, Leclerc wasn't able to overtake Verstappen in the closing stages.

At 19 years old, the young Dutchman is proving that age is no barrier when it comes to Formula One racing. He's propelled his Aston Martin to the top of the charts and won 15 races this year alone - giving him 454 points and giving himself a strong chance at capturing a third title.

Another big name to watch this weekend is Fernando Alonso, who will make his Aston Martin debut in the opening round of 2023 season. With all the attention surrounding him, Alonso promises to create plenty of excitement this weekend. Although he needs time to adjust to his new surroundings, there's no doubt he has major potential in the coming months.

Sergio Perez

After an impressive start in 2011 with Sauber, Perez made the move to McLaren in 2013. At the end of that year he was dropped and returned to Force India, forming Racing Point until 2020. During this period he achieved one victory and finished third in the standings.

He then joined Red Bull in 2021 and quickly established himself as a formidable competitor, taking home his first victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix. Additionally, he managed to secure his first pole position of his career thus far.

At Red Bull, Perez earned two victories and two pole positions throughout his career, in addition to collecting 11 podium finishes. This led him to finish 3rd in the season standings - an impressive accomplishment for him.

The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix marks the opening race of the new Formula One season and provides Red Bull with a chance to regain their dominance. Max Verstappen qualified on pole and is favourite for victory, with Charles Leclerc starting second and Carlos Sainz Jr third.

From the start, it's a tight race for the lead as all four front row starters vie for position on track. Charles Leclerc pushes Max Verstappen hard to take the lead at the first corner; however, after some laps they begin to fade away and Perez comes up with the winning moves on his way to his second victory of the season!

Perez capitalized on a strong start to get past Leclerc and into the lead of the race. After several laps, he held off Leclerc until his final lap when he spun.

Perez was able to secure victory and become Mexico's first Formula 1 race victor since Pedro Rodriguez in 1970! To cap off his season, Perez finished fourth in the final standings.

In 2023, Perez has an opportunity to improve upon his performance from last year and secure another victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix! He's eagerly awaiting what promises to be an exciting weekend ahead!

Charles Leclerc

Today, the first round of 2023 Formula 1 season got underway in Bahrain with Red Bull using their unique strategy to secure a one-two victory. Max Verstappen also had an excellent race, taking his first pole of his career and earning himself his 21st Formula 1 race win.

Verstappen made the most of his soft tyres to lead the opening laps and take the lead from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. However, Leclerc's Ferrari suffered an engine problem on Lap 41, allowing Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso to make progress up the field.

Alonso had an impressive drive, fighting his way past both Hamilton and Sainz in the opening stages. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to replicate that move on Hamilton but managed to hold onto sixth until Lance Stroll passed him for seventh.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton made a charge through the midfield to fifth place after an impressive start from his Aston Martin. However, Lance Stroll quickly passed him and held off Russell for seventh, giving him his second top 10 finish of the year and third for Aston Martin.

Ferrari had a mixed race, with some good drives from their drivers but reliability issues throughout the day. Charles Leclerc had an excellent drive but unfortunately his race was ended by engine failure on Lap 41 - disappointing to miss out on taking home third place from his home crowd.

Esteban Ocon had a disastrous start, dropping to 18th after receiving a 5s penalty for not lining up in his grid slot correctly and another 10s penalty for speeding in the pitlane. The Spanish driver went to the garage with damage to his front wing and later retired. On the bright side, Pierre Gasly made an incredible comeback from the back of the grid to ninth after making it through all six pit stops after holding off Alex Albon for eighth at the end.

Carlos Sainz Jr.

His father, two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz, is an acclaimed driver with extensive racing experience in Formula 3 and Formula One championships. After making an impression with Toro Rosso in 2015, he then joined McLaren for two seasons in 2019.

After starting at the back of the grid for his inaugural F1 race, he came back from a crash in Russia to finish P7. Over the following seven races, he would score points consistently; even more impressively in his third year with Ferrari.

In 2023, he was promoted to the number six car and it quickly became evident that he would be an integral part of McLaren's comeback. Adapting quickly in his new role, he ended up finishing sixth in the Drivers' Championship that season.

But it wasn't all good news; a string of DNFs in Russia, Baku and Austria indicated the car had trouble keeping up. He was given a new contract before the next round and started well in Australia, earning P7. Unfortunately, he dropped out in China and was demoted to third car for the season.

He continued his improvement at the US GP, finishing P6. His season had started off promisingly in Singapore but then suffered reliability issues. After struggling in China and Argentina, he managed to climb back into contention again for points placements.

In 2019, he returned to Toro Rosso and finished the year strongly by winning the last race at Mexico. Lando Norris joined him in driving for McLaren as they prepared for their number three car in 2019, which proved to be one of his most reliable partners; finishing P6 overall with 96 points.

He scored three more victories in 2023, taking a total of 10 races and earning him P4 in the Drivers' Championship. Additionally, he was an integral member of McLaren's team, taking several key points finishes midseason and leading them at the end. It's safe to say that he has won over many fans' hearts with his driving style and talent.