Max Verstappen wins Bahrain grand prix in a class of his own
Max Verstappen confidently won the Bahrain grand prix as Red Bull revealed their true pace for the new F1 season.
Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium in Bahrain. (Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool)
The Dutch driver finished ahead of teammate Sergio Perez, with the Red Bull pair able to best the field with two opening stints on soft tyres before a final run on the hard compound.
Verstappen lead away from pole and drove away into the Bahrain evening as Perez fought back against Charles Leclerc to regain second.
Fernando Alonso made his way past the Ferrari and overtook Lewis Hamilton to secure the final podium position for Aston Martin.
"This is exactly the start we wanted, a one-two finish,” said Verstappen.
“I'm incredibly proud that we have achieved this as a team.”
“I could see early on that we had the pace in the car, I was able to build a gap from the start and then just managed it for the rest of the race, it was a straightforward day for us.”
“It also feels good to finally win in Bahrain, I haven't had the best history here.”
“Looking ahead to Jeddah, it's a completely different track with different conditions, there's a lot of long straights and fast corners, so it will give us a completely different picture of where everyone is on the grid but at least this was a very good start for us."
Tyre strategies for the Bahrain Grand Prix - click to expand. (Pirelli)
Leclerc was on track for third position when his Ferrari stopped on-track, bringing out the virtual safety car.
The stoppage allowed four teams to pit for a final run on the soft tyre, but it was only Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who was able to catch the pack and finish in the points, crossing the line in ninth.
Carlos Sainz was fourth for Ferrari in a reassuring sign that the Italian constructor will be able to compete throughout the season, while Lewis Hamilton could only manage fifth for Mercedes.
It was a difficult race for McLaren, with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri suffering technical issues.
Norris finished P17, running experimental runs on every tyre compound after his race was compromised.
Australian Piastri retired in the opening laps.
“It was disappointing to have finished so soon,” said Piastri.
“We were going quite well, got a decent start and made some good overtakes.”
“I thought up until the electrical problem, we were doing a good job.”
“We’re still working out what the issue is and we hoped changing the steering wheel would fix it but unfortunately it didn’t.”
“Obviously not the finish to the weekend that I wanted but there are positives to take, and the car seemed to have better pace in the race”
“I still learned a lot and I’m glad I’ve now made my debut, and experienced some of the F1 race weekend firsts.”
“I’m now looking forward to having a better weekend in Saudi Arabia.”
The 2023 Formula One World Championship returns 17-19 March in Saudi Arabia.
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