Vamos Fernando - Bahrain grand prix review
And it’s lights out and away we go for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Max Verstappen cruises to the first win of the season, the first time red bull has won an opening race since 2011 in Australia. As well as this, it was a one-two with his teammate Sergio Perez finishing second.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc retired on lap 41 with power unit issues. Ferrari had changed the power unit in Parc Fermè before the race but hadn’t worked out. Teammate Carlos Sainz was struggling with his tyres at the end which handed the opportunity to veteran Fernando Alonso to pass him and earn him his 99th career podium.
Alonso was voted driver of the day with his teammate Lance Stroll finishing P6, despite breaking his wrist and toe before the pre-season.
McLaren did not have the best of starts with rookie Oscar Piastri having engine problems on lap 15 and eventually having to retire from the race. Lando Norris was struggling with engine air and had to pit five times just to get it recharged. With Norris finishing P17, it was not the start the team from Woking was looking for.
Mercedes were also struggling for pace and did not have the start they wanted with Lewis Hamilton finishing P5 and George Russell finishing P7. Mercedes were outclassed by Aston Martin’s decision to pit as they were undercut by the team from Silverstone. The term undercut means that you would pit for new tyres a lap before your rival and by the time your rival has pitted, you would be in front of them.
Alpine’s race was a contrast of good and bad because Pierre Gasly who started at P20 finished at an impressive P9. He also had the most overtakes in the race with 11. As for Esteban Ocon, it wasn’t his day as racked up 20 seconds in penalties.
The first was for the starting procedure in which he rolled too far in his grid slot, earning him a five-second penalty. He then got a ten-second penalty for serving the other penalty he received. The reason was he had damage so the team has to change the front wing. However, you are not allowed to touch the car while serving the five seconds but the team was too eager and it cost them badly. To add salt to the wounds, he then got another five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. His race ended early on lap 43, putting him out of his misery.
Williams had a decent race with Alexander Albon finishing in the points at P10. Albon just got his head down and did what he had to do to earn a point. rookie Logan Sergeant finished an impressive p12, showing some positive signs that the American is here to fight. The highlight of his race was a battle with Lando Norris in the early stages of the race so overall, a good start for the American.
Alfa Romeo's race was not the worst but certainly not the best with both drivers giving it their all. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu finished P8 and P16 respectively but this is only the first race with plenty of battles and opportunities to look forward to.
Alpha Tauri had an uneventful race with no drama or competition for points. With rookie Nyck De Vries in P14, it was still a solid result and is a stepping stone for the Dutchman. Yuki Tsunoda finished P11 and despite him giving his all, it wasn’t enough to earn any points for his team.
Haas had a disappointing race as Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg finished P13 and P15 respectively. Hulkenberg is now entering his 4th stint in the sport and will be hungry for success in the future with Haas.