Red Bull Racing’s hegemony in Formula 1 has continued to go relatively unchallenged after two-time world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez secured a dominant one-two finish during the season opener. But the real story of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix involves the grid’s other two-time world champion in Fernando Alonso and his Aston Martin debut.
For weeks, there had been whispers that the Lawrence Stroll-led outfit had finally provided Alonso with a ride that was actually worthy of his talents. And in the lead-up to qualifying, fuel was steadily being added to the flames with a procession of impressive lap times set across three days of practice. Now, we have definitive proof the AMR23 ain’t no joke.
As Scuderia Ferrari grappled with engine reliability issues that would force 2022 title challenger Charles Leclerc into retiring on the 41st lap, and the same old problems that plagued Mercedes last season once again reared their ugly head, Alonso ruthlessly duelled Carlos Sainz and Sir Lewis Hamilton to improve from his P5 starting position and seize a podium finish; earning Driver of the Day in the process.
RELATED: Charles Leclerc Addresses Rumours That He’s Leaving Ferrari For Mercedes
| Pos. | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull | 43 |
| 2 | Aston Martin | 23 |
| 3 | Mercedes | 16 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 12 |
| 5 | Alfa Romeo | 4 |
| 6 | Alpine | 2 |
| 7 | Williams | 1 |
| 8 | AlphaTauri | 0 |
| 9 | Haas | 0 |
| 10 | McLaren | 0 |
Bonus: despite the fact he’s currently recovering from broken wrists – and a red-hot bit of contact in the opening lap – Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll battled it out to also finish in the points (P6), placing the constructor as a whole in second place right behind Red Bull.
“[It’s] amazing for the team. It was a great weekend/ Finishing on the podium in the first race of the year. It is just amazing what Aston Martin did over the winter to have the second-best car on race one. This is just unreal,” Fernando Alonso remarked after the race.
“But we had not the best start today. We had to pass on track. It felt a little bit more exciting. More adrenaline for sure. People enjoy it. We did enjoy [it] as well.”
The season may be long and incredibly unforgiving, but for the time being, it would appear everything’s going according to El Plan for the 41-year-old Spaniard.
Check out the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix results below.
RELATED: The World Needs An ‘Entourage’-Style TV Series About Formula 1
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max VERSTAPPEN | Red Bull | LAP 57 | 25 |
| 2 | Sergio PÉREZ | Red Bull | +11.987 | 18 |
| 3 | Fernando ALONSO | Aston Martin | +38.637 | 15 |
| 4 | Carlos SAINZ | Ferrari | +48.052 | 12 |
| 5 | Lewis HAMILTON | Mercedes | +50.977 | 10 |
| 6 | Lance STROLL | Aston Martin | +54.502 | 8 |
| 7 | George RUSSELL | Mercedes | +55.873 | 6 |
| 8 | Valtteri BOTTAS | Alfa Romeo | +72.647 | 4 |
| 9 | Pierre GASLY | Alpine | +73.753 | 2 |
| 10 | Alexander ALBON | Williams | +89.774 | 1 |
| 11 | Yuki TSUNODA | Alpha Tauri | +90.870 | 0 |
| 12 | Logan SARGEANT | Williams | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | Kevin MAGNUSSEN | Haas | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | Nyck DE VRIES | Alpha Tauri | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 15 | Nico HULKENBERG | Haas | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 16 | Guanyu ZHOU | Alfa Romeo | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 17 | Lando NORRIS | McLaren | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 18 | Esteban OCON | Alpine | DNF | 0 |
| 19 | Charles LECLERC | Ferrari | DNF | 0 |
| 20 | Oscar PIASTRI | McLaren | DNF | 0 |
RELATED: Fernando Alonso, Former Ferrari F1 Driver, Is Selling His Enzo For $8 Million
