Bahrain Grand Prix – Race: We take the same and start over

97 days after the last Grand Prix of the 2023 season in Abu Dhabi, it was a relative freshness that welcomed the 20 F1 drivers on the grid in Bahrain, for the first of the 24 appointments of the year that will lead the Formula One Circus until December.

From the fight… behind Verstappen

The start goes smoothly for the top three on the grid, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell, while Sergio Pérez manages to get the better of Carlos Sainz. Despite setting a superb tenth time in Q3 during qualifying, Nico Hülkenberg loses everything in the very first turn due to a collision with Lance Stroll.

In the third lap, Russell’s Mercedes pulls level with Leclerc’s Ferrari at turn three and gains the advantage. The Monegasque driver then finds himself under threat from Pérez’s Red Bull. Behind Verstappen, who has already pulled away, a chasing pack is forming with Russell, Leclerc, Pérez, and Sainz.

A little further on, the two McLarens are running together and manage to each take the lead over Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin for 6th and 7th place. Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda complete the Top 10 in these early laps of the race.

In the seventh lap, Leclerc eventually surrenders to Perez. The Ferrari number 16 seems to be struggling with entry into the corners, especially at turn 10. Three laps later, it’s Sainz who overtakes his teammate at the end of the start/finish straight. The Monegasque is now in 5th place.

Pérez and Sainz lead the pack.

Russell and Leclerc are the first of the leading group to pit on the 12th lap. The two drivers swap their starting soft tires for hards. One lap later, Pérez, Piastri, and Hamilton also change their tires. Pérez emerges from the pits exactly between Russell and Leclerc.

The Mexican driver is very aggressive behind the British driver’s Mercedes and manages to overtake on his first attempt. However, things don’t go well for Sainz. As the last driver in the chasing group to make a pit stop, he comes out behind his teammate whom he had overtaken earlier.

Red Bull is superior to its rivals in race pace. On the 16th lap, the two Austrian cars find themselves in the first two positions. Sainz also has a good pace. Anyway, better than his teammate’s. For the second time in the race, the Spaniard overtakes Leclerc to regain 4th place behind Verstappen, Pérez, and Russell.

The leader finally pits on the 18th lap. No problems to report for the three-time world champion who comes out in first place. Meanwhile, Sainz takes third place by managing to overtake Russell. The son of the last Dakar winner is on fire.

Fixed positions at halfway.

At the mid-race point, we find the leader Max Verstappen literally dominating this race with a series of fastest laps. Ten seconds behind, Pérez leads the chasing pack ahead of Sainz, Russell, and Leclerc. The two McLarens and Hamilton complete the Top 8, bringing together the four best teams from last season.

To secure the final points, the Racing Bulls are battling with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas and Alex Albon’s Williams, hoping for a failure among the leading cars. Further back, as anticipated, the Alpines are having a tough race at the bottom of the standings. Verstappen laps them on the 33rd lap at the starting line.

A close finish with (a little) suspense

Russell is the first of the leaders to put on a second set of hard tires. He comes out in 8th place behind Alonso, whom he manages to quickly overtake. Leclerc and Piastri follow suit like the Briton on the 35th lap. Sainz stops in hopes of undercutting Pérez. Unlike the Spaniard’s Ferrari, the Mexican chooses soft tires to finish the race and stays ahead of his rival in 2nd place. One lap after his teammate, Verstappen also switches to new soft tires to go the distance in the Grand Prix.

In the final laps of the race, the suspense now focuses on the battle for 4th place between Russell and Leclerc, and on Perez’s soft tires holding up against Sainz who is unable to pull away.

On the 46th lap, Russell misses his braking point at turn 10. Leclerc takes advantage and passes him, and with about ten laps to go, we find the two Red Bulls leading ahead of the two Ferraris.

The order remains unchanged until the finish. Max Verstappen comfortably wins the 55th race of his F1 career. Sergio Pérez gives Red Bull its 29th one-two finish while Carlos Sainz completes the podium ahead of Charles Leclerc. Following are George Russell, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and the two Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. The top ten drivers from the five best teams in 2023 finish in the top ten positions of this season’s first Grand Prix.

Meet us next Thursday for the first free practice sessions of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which will also take place on a Saturday.