Learn all there is to know about the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was held on March 5, at the Bahrain international circuit and has 57 laps measuring at 5.412-kilometers
Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix easily, making it the ideal event to begin his defense of the global drivers’ championship crown.
The Dutch driver, who started from the pole position, effectively controlled the race from start to finish, while teammate Sergio Perez secured a one-two finish for the champions of the previous year’s constructors title.
Fernando Alonso, who finished in P3, overtook fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz to earn his 99th podium result in Formula One.
Yet the Bahrain Grand Prix gave Ferrari another difficulty, as Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc was forced to withdraw after his vehicle experienced a catastrophic malfunction while the Monegasque driver was in third place leading to a virtual safety car being released. After Formula One made a comeback, the remaining points-paying positions were filled by Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll, George Russell, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon.
The Bahrain GP was a cocktail of victories, notable improvements, and also disappointments for some teams. Some of the notable incidents during the Bahrain GP were;
Many anticipated that Verstappen would easily win the 36th Formula One race of his career on Sunday after securing the pole position by a significant margin on Saturday. The Dutchman didn’t let anyone down as he launched his title defense flawlessly. He was unable to contend for the lead from the start and finally finished about 12 seconds in front of his teammate Perez, who claimed second place. Verstappen and his Austrian team couldn’t have had a better opening weekend to the 2023 season, except for a tiny issue that caused him to have some difficulty with his downshifts.
We all questioned Alonso’s move to Aston Martin wondering whether it would play out nicely for him, but things seem to be looking up for him this year. Alonso struggled in the opening laps after starting from P5 on the grid due to contact from teammate Lance Stroll, but he swiftly recovered to challenge Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz for the third and final podium spot. The seasoned driver pulled off a superb maneuver at turn 10 to get past Hamilton much to the disappointment of Mercedes fans, and he then out-dragged Sainz down the back straight to earn his 99th podium finish in a long career.
Although almost all experts and spectators predict that Verstappen will win his third World Drivers’ Championship this year, many see Charles Leclerc of Ferrari as his biggest challenger. Personally, my prediction for the Bahrain GP was a P1 for Max , P2 Charles & P3 for Checo so yall can imagine my pain when Charles had a DNF. The Monegasque driver had a terrible start to his 2023 championship campaign as he was forced to retire midway through the inaugural race due to a power failure barely a year after his victory in Bahrain last year.
Leclerc lost out on a potential podium finish and some crucial early points in the championship race as he was securely running in P3 at the time of the incident. Not all was bad news for Ferrari Sainz appeared to have done just enough that afternoon to fend off Hamilton. After Leclerc’s DNF, that will help Ferrari maintain some pride.
Mercedes was clearly still struggling at Bahrain, both Hamilton and Russell were overtaken by Alonso. Lance stroll overtook Russell and was able to secure P6 and P7 for Russell while Hamilton got P5. Clearly, Bahrain was a total nightmare for the team and its fans.
Someone else who had an equivalent eventful evening was Esteban Ocon, as he racked up 3 penalties (lining up outside his assigned position, failing to serve his penalty correctly, and speeding in the pitlane) that effectively ended his race, then suffered a mechanical failure that sealed his fate. Nico Hulkenberg of Haas also received two times penalties of his own for leaving the track 5 times without a justifiable reason, leaving him in 15th place.
Mclaren also had a bad evening as their debut driver Oscar Piastri only lasted 14laps, Piastri started lowly at P18 and was able to gain 3 positions before his retirement, he was into the pits on lap 14 with an issue and his car failed to restart after steering change. Meanwhile, Lando Norris finished 17th after suffering a major engine issue of his own, pitting a remarkable six times in a desperate attempt to nurse the car to the finish.
Much to his joy Alpha Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu bags the first DHL fastest lap award of 2023. Fernando Alonso got the driver of the day award.
BAHRAIN GP STANDINGS
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 25 |
| 2 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 18 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 15 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 12 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 10 |
| 6 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 8 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | 6 |
| 8 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 4 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 2 |
| 10 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | |
| 12 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | |
| 13 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | |
| 14 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTuari | |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | |
| 16 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | |
| 17 | Lando Norris | McLaren | |
| DNF | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | |
| DNF | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | |
| DNF | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
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