Sport

Reigning champion Max Verstappen cruises to Bahrain Grand Prix victory

Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez comes in second as Fernando Alonso takes third for Aston Martin

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen celebrates with the winner's trophy after the Bahrain Grand Prix. Photograph: Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images

Giles Richards at Bahrain International Circuit
Sun Mar 5 2023 - 18:38

Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first of the 2023 Formula One season. He took an absolutely dominant victory for Red Bull from pole to flag, in complete control at the Sakhir circuit as he put what looks to be a fearsomely competitive championship contender car through its paces with ease. He beat his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez into second with Fernando Alonso taking a superb third for Aston Martin.

Alonso’s place confirmed the form Aston have shown all weekend and that they are now very much competing among the big three teams. Indeed they looked comfortably quicker than the Mercedes for whom Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could manage only fifth and seventh respectively as their cars struggled, as they did all weekend.

Ferrari, unable to match Red Bull for pace, also suffered a demoralising failure when Charles Leclerc had to retire with an engine problem while in third place. His team-mate Carlos Sainz managed to bring his car home in fourth.

For Alonso, who drove the socks off the Aston, this was a mighty result, his first podium since Qatar in 2021 with Alpine. Moreover, he delivered with the usual verve and confident, decisive overtaking that has characterised his 20-season career in F1. He was also potentially nursing a damaged car after he took a hit at the start from his team-mate Lance Stroll, who finished sixth.

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The win opens Verstappen’s season with the same confident and controlled statement of intent with which he closed out his dominant, championship-winning year in 2022.

He took 15 victories from 22 races on his way to the title but only after a tricky start with two mechanical failures from the opening three races. This time he is out of the blocks with alacrity, once more displaying a formidable race pace indicating his car has lost none of its strengths from last year.

For the team it is an auspicious start. They have not won the season-opener since Sebastian Vettel did so in Australia in 2011 and from which he went on to dominate the championship. The team have also not won in Bahrain since Vettel did so in 2013, when he also went on to a commanding title win by what was a record number of points.

Off the start Verstappen held his lead through turn one, as Leclerc made it through to second while Hamilton made up places on his team-mate and Alonso, to advance up to fifth by the end of the first lap. Alonso, clipped by Stroll, dropped to seventh.

Verstappen was rapid in the clean air however, opening a lead of over a second on Leclerc after only one lap. By lap five it was a chasm of over three and half seconds, a menacing display of pace for which the Ferrari had no answer. He was lapping at about six-tenths a lap quicker than his rivals, a huge advantage despite complaining of some rear-locking.

Behind them Alonso was easily staying with the two Mercedes and looked to be quicker when attacking. The Mercedes was expected to be hard on its tyres and both drivers were indeed already losing grip. With Alonso attacking Russell and making the pass on lap 13, Mercedes pitted Hamilton. Russell, Leclerc and Sainz followed a lap later.

Out front Verstappen pitted on lap 15 when he enjoyed an 11-second lead, with all the front runners except Verstappen switching to the hard rubber. Pérez went longer, staying out in the lead until also moving on to the softs on lap 18.

With Verstappen and the first stops shaken out, he had retained an almost 11-second lead over Leclerc, with Pérez in third. The latter on softer rubber did catch Leclerc however and made the pass on lap 26, now up to second trailing his team-mate by 13 seconds.

Hamilton made his second stop for the hard tyres on lap 30 and Russell followed a lap later, their race concerned solely with taking on Alonso and Stroll. Stroll was on warmer tyres making the pass on Russell while the British driver was on his out lap.

Hamilton and Alonso vied with one another on track after their stops, with the Aston clearly enjoying greater pace. Hamilton defended well and they went wheel to wheel over two laps before Alonso made it stick up the inside through turn 10 on lap 38, taking fifth place.

As if to rub salt in the wound in a race that was already lost for Ferrari, Leclerc ground to a halt on lap 40 having lost power. It may have been a worrying repeat of the power-unit issues that plagued them last year and, with the form of Red Bull, it is a failure they simply cannot afford. Consequently Sainz, now in third, fearful of pushing the engine too hard, had to defend against Alonso who would not be denied and he passed on lap 46 to take the podium place.

It was dramatic stuff in contrast to the consummate control Verstappen exhibited in front. He maintained his lead over Pérez with ease to take the flag with an 11-second gap and his title defence off to the most intimidating start. – Guardian

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