Reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen kicked off the 2023 season with a comfortable 1-2 victory for Red Bull Racing at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Dutchman, who also started on the pole with a 1-2, never looked in doubt of victory as he crossed the chequered flag 12 seconds clear of teammate Sergio Perez.
It was however Fernando Alonso who grabbed the headlines with a brilliant drive to third place on his Aston Martin. The double world champion recovered from a slow start to overtake the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton before hunting down Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to seal the final podium spot and win the Driver of the Day award.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton took fifth ahead of the second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, who is still recovering from the wrist and toe injury he suffered in a pre-season cycling accident.
Russell finished seventh ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, while Alex Albon sealed 10th place to round up the points.
American rookie Logan Sargeant finished 12th in his debut in the other Williams while it was 14th for new AlphaTauri driver Nick de Vries.
Nico Hulkenberg finished 15th in the Haas in his F1 return after three years without a permanent seat. It was a disastrous day for Lando Norris in his McLaren, finishing 17th and last in the overall classification.
Our first top 10 of the season ????#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/yMlInrLVOq
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 5, 2023
There were three retirements in the race: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon of Alpine and new McLaren driver Oscar Piastri.
The next race is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix which takes place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in a fortnight.
