Bahrain Grand Prix Kicks Off 2023 F1 Season

James Minor ’23 Staff Writer

With the completion of the Bahrain Grand Prix this past weekend, the 2023 F1 World Championship is now officially underway. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won rather easily from pole followed by teammate Sergio Perez (+11.987 seconds behind) in what proved to be an ideal start for the Austrian team.

Fernando Alonso (+38.637) rounded out the podium with a surprise top three result for Aston Martin, confirming the pre-season rumors of the team’s rapid rise over the winter. Carlos Sainz (+48.052) led the way for a disappointed Ferrari in P4 after teammate Charles Leclerc (19th, DNF) suffered an engine failure during the race. Lewis Hamilton (+50.977) rounded out the top five in what proved to be a frustrating race for Mercedes.

Qualifying is the first entirely representative session of the weekend and is split into three sections: Q1, Q2, and Q3, with each session’s slowest five drivers being eliminated until Q3, which functions as a top 10 shootout.

Q1 made fans excited as only 1.188 seconds separated the fastest and slowest lap. For comparison, last year's Q1 session at the same track had a difference of 2.163 seconds. These may seem like small margins, but in racing two seconds per lap is a long time.

However, this gap did increase as track conditions improved and the top teams turned their car up. Max Verstappen’s 1:29.708 lap time was enough to secure the top spot in qualifying. It is worth noting that Fernando Alonso out-qualified both Mercedes drivers, showing that the team may be fully clear of the midfield by a decent margin.

The race got off to a fun start with both Mercedes picking up positions and the Ferraris challenging for the lead before the field settled into the first stint. 19 of the 20 drivers began their race on the soft (fastest, least durable) tire; Kevin Magnussen started on the hard (slowest, most durable) tire. Most teams then opted to stop twice for two sets of hard tires as that compound seemed to be the best for the race.

Red Bull dominated the race from the first lap onward, with Verstappen leading all but the first lap he pitted. The pace of the Austrian team is an ominous warning that the championship may not be as competitive as many had hoped: at least not at the top.

Another team whose pace created headlines was Aston Martin.