(Motorsport) It was lights out and away we go as the 2023 Formula 1 season began in Bahrain with reigning champion Max Verstappen securing first place followed by teammate Sergio Perez. After impressing in Final Practice, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished in an impressive third place while Scuderia Ferrari had a race to forget. Charles Leclerc was forced to retire due to a power failure with 17 laps to go while Carlos Sainz couldn’t compete with Alonso for the third place, relinquishing the position in the 46th lap. As for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were forced to settle for fifth and seventh as the W14 continued to underperform.
Former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas finished eighth in the Alfa Romeo followed by Pierre Gasly in the Alpine and Alex Albon in Williams. Alpine driver Esteban Ocon had a race to forget after receiving three separate penalties – one for an incorrect grid position, one for not serving his first penalty correctly and another for speeding in the pit lane before being forced to retire. McLaren had a terrible race as well with Oscar Piastri being forced to retire early while Lando Norris finished last (17th place as three drivers retired).
Hopes were high at Ferrari ahead of the Bahrain GP under new team principal Fred Vasseur but things couldn’t have gone more wrong. A podium finish looked certain for Leclerc who was comfortably third behind the two Red Bull cars followed by teammate Carlos Sainz in fourth. However, the Monegasque driver, who had his engine battery replaced before the race experienced an ‘electrical problem on the power unit’ in lap 40, forcing him to retire. Carlos Sainz couldn’t hold off Fernando Alonso due to tyre degradation and was relegated to fourth place.
Bahrain GP Race Result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
3) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
4) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
5) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
6) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
7) George Russell, Mercedes
8) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
9) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
10) Alex Albon, Williams
Also read: Here’s everything that you need to look out for in the 2023 Formula 1 season
