2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix highlights

Red Bull enjoyed a perfect start to the season in the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix as Max Verstappen cruised to victory over teammate Sergio Perez – while Fernando Alonso finished third as Charles Leclerc retired from the race.

Click here to subscribe to our print edition!

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director, Pirelli:

The race strategies played out largely as expected at the first grand prix of the new season. All the teams stopped at least twice, but we saw a number of different choices for the second and third stints. Today’s key compound was the new P Zero White hard C1, which we introduced this year. It worked exactly as anticipated, performing in line with the data gathered over the last few days and during pre-season testing. The P Zero Red soft C3 instead showed less degradation than indicated by the previous data, probably influenced by track evolution as well. Congratulations to Red Bull for choosing a unique alternative strategy that helped them to seal a one-two, as well as to Aston Martin, also on the podium.

How the race was won:

Red Bull brought home a one-two at the opening race of the 2023 season. The Bahrain Grand Prix was won by Max Verstappen, who crossed the finish line on hard tyres. His teammate Sergio Perez and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso were also on the podium, using the hard for the final stint.

Race conditions today were very similar to those seen in qualifying on Saturday, with 30°C of track temperature and almost no wind.

All the teams stopped at least twice. Tyre choices varied for the central stints, but most drivers finished the race on the hard compound. Four teams used a Virtual Safety Car to make a third pit stop for the soft tyre. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was the only one to score points, ending up ninth.

Red Bull and Ferrari, fighting for the top positions for a large part of the race, opted for different strategies. Both teams started on the soft, but Red Bull chose the soft tyres again for the second stint, while Ferrari went for the hard. Both teams then chose the hard for the final stint, with Ferrari stopping slightly earlier than its rivals.

Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou set the fastest lap of the race (1m33.996s) on the soft tyre but didn’t score an extra championship point as he ran outside the top 10. The fastest lap set on the new hard tyre was from Alonso, who did a 1m36.156s.

The alternative strategy:

The only driver not to take the soft tyre for the start was Haas’s Kevin Magnussen, who chose a new set of hards instead. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) was the first driver to stop, who took on hard tyres on laps nine and 25.

Red Bull was the only team to complete a soft-soft-hard strategy, with Williams doing something similar before making an extra stop for softs on lap 40. Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) and Haas cars also pitted under the Virtual Safety Car, caused by a stoppage for Charles Leclerc (Ferrari).

Aston Martin ran the same strategy as the Ferrari drivers for Alonso: going from soft to hard on lap 14 and then completing the race on hard after a second stop. McLaren’s Lando Norris was the sole driver to use the P Zero Yellow medium C2.

2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results

2023 Constructor Standings

Pos	Picture	Team	Points
1.		Red Bull Racing	860
2.		Mercedes-AMG F1 Team	409
3.		Scuderia Ferrari	406
4.		McLaren Racing	302
5.		Aston Martin F1 Team	280
6.		Alpine F1 Team	120
7.		Williams Racing	28
8.		Scuderia AlphaTauri	25
8.		Alfa Romeo Racing	16
10.		Haas F1 Team	12

Here are the team-by-team highlights:

Max Verstappen got off the line quickly at the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday to lay the foundation for a comfortable first victory as teammate Sergio Pérez completed the 1-2 to wrap up a perfect start to the defence of Oracle Red Bull Racing’s FIA Formula One World Championship titles.

Dutchman Verstappen managed to hold off the field from pole position as the RB19 looked imperious with Mexican Pérez dropping to third off the line, however fighting back to finish ahead of Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team’s Fernando Alonso, who drove well for third.

Max Verstappen, Driver, Red Bull Racing

This is exactly the start we wanted, a one-two finish. 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 are 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.

Sergio Pérez, Driver, Red Bull Racing:

My start wasn’t ideal, Charles was a little too aggressive and pushed me to the right, and I did my best to avoid him. That meant my first stint wasn’t ideal, Charles was very strong on that new tyre, and it was difficult to get through him quickly enough. I think that’s where I lost out to Max. I was behind him by about 10 or 12 seconds, and after that, it was game over on catching Max. It was all about getting Charles. It was important to get by him, minimise the damage and get that P2 for the Team. There are a lot of improvements we can still make to try and make our car better, but there is still plenty of work going on behind the scenes. We have been very strong on this tarmac, but Bahrain is a unique circuit, and things will be closer to other circuits.

CHRISTIAN HORNER – CEO and Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

What a race! Max certainly showed he had not lost any pace coming into the new season, grabbing the pole and the victory with both hands. Checo had a bit of work to do with Charles, but he played it well, and then from there, it was about managing the race till the end. The pace and reliability were also there, and we had a solid pit-stop strategy. It’s great to have both the guys up there within a tenth, fighting over the fine margins. That pushes the Team forward, and they certainly delivered. Comparing it to last year, when we finished with no points, is quite a contrast. However, it’s important to remember this is just race one, there’s still a lot of racing, but it is a great start from the whole team. It was important for us to get on the board and get some good points in early; we have done that today. We look forward to seeing what Jeddah brings.

Red Bull Racing Honda best pictures:

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 04: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive in the garage during qualifying ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit on March 04, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on prior to the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talks with Prince Albert of Monaco on the grid during the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari SF-23 and the rest of the field at the start during the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 passes his team celebrating on the pitwall during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: <> during the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

A second F1 podium for the team, Fernando’s first for AMF1 on a magical debut, Lance’s valiant fight to secure sixth place, and the team’s highest-scoring Grand Prix weekend. Fernando, Lance and Team Principal Mike Krack reflect on a night to remember in Bahrain.

Fernando Alonso

This is an incredible result for the entire team, and we must enjoy this moment. I am very proud of the job everybody has done. We did not have the best start, but the race pace was strong.

We had some great fights today, especially with Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton. Lewis is a legend of the sport, and it was great to have so much respect between us out there.

It was also an incredible effort from Lance, who was a hero today for driving so well so soon after his injury to pick up some great points. You can feel the energy in the team: everybody is working flat out at the moment and we are all very motivated.

This weekend feels like a dream, but we must stay realistic because this is just one track and the first race. Jeddah is a very different kind of circuit, a very different challenge. I cannot wait to get back in the car.

Lance Stroll

It was a fun race, and I am pleased to score good points tonight. It was not the most comfortable race for me because of the injuries I have been dealing with, but finishing sixth has made it worth enduring all that pain.

This is an amazing result for the team and the best way to start the season. Well done to everybody at Silverstone and here at the track. Fernando put in a great drive to take a podium the first time and has shown this car’s potential. It feels great to be battling with Mercedes.

Even with the adrenaline, the pain was the biggest limiting factor in the race’s second half. I must thank everyone who helped me be in the best shape possible today. I will now use the coming days ahead of Jeddah to work on recovery.

Mike Krack

Today’s fantastic result is the culmination of the team’s hard work over many months. Bringing home a podium and sixth place in the season’s first race is a wonderful achievement, and the team should be extremely proud.

Fernando and Lance raced well, showing the race pace we knew was possible and making well-judged overtaking moves when it mattered. Fernando has been buzzing all weekend; that energy has transferred throughout the team. As for Lance, just competing has been a heroic effort, and to see him finish sixth after a great pass on Russell is a superb effort. It is a massively impressive performance, having missed all winter testing.

This is a great way to start the season, and I want to thank everyone in the team, our partners, and our fantastic fans. But this is only race one, and a long season ahead of us.

We will keep our feet on the ground, keep working hard, and look to build on this strong performance next time out in Saudi Arabia.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team best pictures:

Portrait, Helmets, Bahrain International Circuit, GP2301a, F1, GP, Bahrain
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team

Portrait, Helmets, Finish, Bahrain International Circuit, GP2301a, F1, GP, Bahrain
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 3rd position, celebrates in Parc Ferme

Portrait, Finish, Helmets, Bahrain International Circuit, GP2301a, F1, GP, Bahrain
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 3rd position, celebrates in Parc Ferme

Portrait, atmosphere, Finish, Bahrain International Circuit, GP2301a, F1, GP, Bahrain
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team, and the Aston Martin team celebrate after securing a podium finish

portrait, Bahrain International Circuit, GP2301a, F1, GP, Bahrain
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, with Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG, and Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

Portrait, Podium, Bahrain International Circuit, GP2301a, F1, GP, Bahrain
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 3rd position, celebrates on the podium

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, and George Russell seventh in the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix. Both cars ran a Soft/Hard/Hard strategy and battled throughout but disappointingly could not match the superior pace of the Red Bull, Ferrari and Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin.

Lewis made up two positions on the opening lap to run in fifth for most of the race. That became fourth when Charles Leclerc retired, but he lost out to Alonso in the closing stages. George dropped to sixth at the start, with a slow first stop relegating him to eighth. He ran close to the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll throughout but could not pass for seventh.

Lewis Hamilton

We did the best we could today. We are the fourth fastest team, and the Ferrari and Aston we were battling were quicker than us. It was close for a second with Sainz, but I couldn’t hang on, and he just went away in the final laps. Big congratulations to Fernando and the whole Aston Martin team too. They did a great job today. We had a fun tussle momentarily, but he was too quick. We lack a lot of downforce, and we’ve got a lot of work to do to add more to the car. We can pick up our pace when we load more front and rear load. We’ve just got to keep working; we know we are not where we need to be. I must stay positive, keep my head up and push the Team. I will be a positive light for them and get the best points possible.

George Russell

We lack performance and are long behind where we want to be. Aston Martin is the surprise package this year, and our deficit to Red Bull and those ahead is too big. The positive we can take away is that the car has no fundamental problem other than lacking downforce. As silly as it sounds, that is one of the easiest problems to solve compared to what we had to do last year. We are all here to win. If we must sacrifice some races or part of this season to give ourselves a chance to fight in the second half of next year, that is what we must do. We know the Team is good at developing and finding performance, but we are far behind where we want to be. We need to find some performance quickly. Bahrain is an outlier circuit, but performance isn’t going to swing more than three-tenths positively or negatively from track to track.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

That was one of our worst days in racing. It was not good at all; we are lacking pace front, right, and centre. The Aston Martins are very fast, and the Red Bull is on a different planet. It hurts that they are so far ahead; it reminds me of our best years when we put one second on everyone else. That is the benchmark. We need to put one foot in front of the other to return, but nobody in this team will throw in the towel. We need to dig deep, deeper than we ever have done before. And we can do that.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

It was a very difficult Sunday; the gap to Red Bull is huge, and we’ve got Aston Martin and Ferrari ahead of us too. Clearly, we have a lot of work ahead and need to go back and devise a plan to try and find improvements. We lacked overall grip, and on a high degradation track like this, there was nothing the drivers could do to attack. However, seeing how the team is pulling together and how well the drivers are working together is encouraging. This is the second season we’ve started on the back foot, though, and we’re under no illusion that this is unacceptable for our team. We’ve got a few days to regroup and improve ahead of Saudi; we will work together to ensure the next race is better than this weekend.

Mercedes-AMG F1 Team best pictures:

2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, Friday – LAT Images

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Friday- Sebastian Kawka

2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, Friday – LAT Images

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Saturday – Steve Etherington

2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, Saturday – LAT Images

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday – Sam Bloxham

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari heads home from the opening round of the season in Bahrain with 12 points, courtesy of a fourth-place finish for Carlos Sainz but also with the disappointment of Charles Leclerc’s retirement at a two-thirds distance when he was a comfortable third.

The podium slipped away. Both drivers got off the line well and were competitive on the Soft tyres during the first stint. Leclerc also benefited from being on the new set he had saved from qualifying, which helped him get ahead of Sergio Perez. After that, he was second for a long time, running excellently. After a pit stop to switch to the Hard tyre, there was a clear difference in pace compared to Red Bull and Aston Martin. Charles could no longer stay with Max Verstappen and Perez, but he seemed set to bring home a third-place finish thanks to accurate tyre management. Then, with 17 laps to go, he had to retire with an electrical problem with his power unit. Carlos kept fourth place off the line but suffered similar degradation to his team-mate. It meant that, in the closing stages, having inherited third after his team-mate’s retirement, he was passed by Fernando Alonso. Sainz did manage to fend off the attention of Lewis Hamilton in the final laps to cross the finish line in fourth place. The next round is in two weeks’ time in Saudi Arabia.

Carlos Sainz #55

It was a challenging Sunday. We knew from testing that it would be tough here in Bahrain, and now we must focus on improving for the upcoming races. Time to put our heads down, work hard and see how we can close the gap to the top. It’s only race one, so we’ll keep pushing no matter what.

Charles Leclerc #16

We had a great start, and everything felt good. We had a solid gap behind us and were managing the pace well until, unfortunately, we lost power. It’s a shame, and we will look into the causes to ensure we understand what happened.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal

Of course, we are disappointed. How could we not be? We knew we’d have to deal with tyre degradation but did not expect reliability problems. It’s a shame for Charles because his pace was good in the first stint, and even with the heavy degradation on the Hard tyre, he could have brought home a third place. That would have been a good way to start the season. Carlos drove a solid race, running consistently, and he gave it his all to finish fourth.

After this first race, we understood the situation and knew what areas to work on. We have to improve a lot regarding tyre management, and clearly, we have to ensure we have no more reliability problems like the one that affected us today.

Scuderia Ferrari best pictures:

1 – GP BAHRAIN F1/2023 – GIOVEDI’ 02/03/2023

1 – GP BAHRAIN F1/2023 – GIOVEDI’ 02/03/2023

2 – GP BAHRAIN F1/2023 – VENERDI 03/03/2023 credit: @Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

4 – GP BAHRAIN F1/2023 – DOMENICA 05/03/2023 credit: @Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

Alfa Romeo Racing Stake

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake claimed four points in the season-opening 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, as Valtteri Bottas’s eighth place crowned a good team performance. The result takes the team to P5 in the Constructors’ Championship, a solid return from the first race of the year and a reward for the good progression the team produced over the winter.

The four points claimed tonight to bring the Hinwil outfit into the exclusive club of teams with more than a thousand points in their history – a sweet way to start the season.

Valtteri Bottas (car number 77):

I am really pleased with our race tonight: four points are a good reward for the team and show that all the work everyone back at the base did during the winter is paying off. We showed we had a good race car and could fight with all the teams around us. It was a solid start to our season, but the work is not finished, of course: we have to keep improving and pushing – I know everyone in Hinwil is working to bring upgrades to our car. My race was good, a bit quiet at times: the start was really important, and making those places on the opening lap was crucial as the cars around us were very well matched, and overtaking is not easy.

We went out aggressively, both on track and with our strategy, and it was definitely the right thing to do. We also had to be smart and pick our battles, ensuring we kept some of our tyres for when we needed them: it turned out to be important in the end when it got a bit close with Gasly, but in the end, we brought it home. It was also important for Zhou to get the fastest lap right at the end to steal the point from our competition – he did a good job, showing how well we work as a team. P8 was the most we could get tonight; there’s nothing more we could have done.

Zhou Guanyu (car number 24):

It’s obviously good to see Valtteri scoring points for the team in the season opener, it’s a good starting place for all of us, and I was glad to give my contribution by setting the fastest lap in the closing stages. The car felt better than in qualifying, which shows we’re going in the right direction: we must keep finding these margins to keep improving ahead of the next few races, and I know everyone trackside and in Switzerland is working to do it. As for tonight’s race, I suffered a bit of wheelspin in the opening lap, losing a few places and ending up stuck in a DRS train for most of the race. The VSC came out at the wrong time, and we couldn’t do much to improve our position at that stage. Still, there are positives we can get out of this race as a team as we head to Saudi Arabia with the knowledge we can fight for the points in every race.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative:

The team did a really good job tonight. We can be satisfied with the final result, which shows our continuous progress and the value of the work we did during pre-season testing: we were in the top five teams for the whole of the race, and we finished ahead of McLaren and Alpine, which is as much as we could have hoped to get tonight. It was a good collective effort: the drivers did well in the car, with the added teamwork contribution of Zhou setting the fastest time at the very end; the strategic choices and the pit-stops were really good, and all together, we contributed to the four points we bring home. This result aligns with what we expected following last week’s testing and the data we got in practice. We also owe a big ‘thank you’ to the team back in Hinwil, who was instrumental in giving us a car we could fight with, and our key technical partners, Ferrari. Tonight was a good start, but there’s still a lot of work to do: we must keep pushing to develop our car, as the battle we are in this season will be exciting.

Alfa Romeo F1 Team best pictures:

Zhou Guanyu (CHN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C43 makes a pit stop. Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C43..Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Zhou Guanyu (CHN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team..Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C43..Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Saturday 4th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Andreas Seidl (GER) Sauber Group Chief Executive Officer..Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Saturday 4th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Andreas Seidl (GER) Sauber Group Chief Executive Officer..Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, Saturday 4th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

BWT Alpine F1 Team claimed two points from today’s season-opening 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix as Pierre Gasly – on debut – climbed from last place to ninth to open the team’s account for the World Championship. Esteban Ocon endured an unfortunate afternoon in Sakhir as he retired from the 57-lap race, 16 laps from the end.

Esteban’s race was compromised from the start, as he received a five-second time penalty for a starting grid infringement. By Turn 2 on the opening lap, a light touch with Lando Norris caused damage to his left front wing end plate, which meant Esteban pitted twice in the opening 15 laps. A further penalty was added for an operational error during the serving of his first penalty before a third infringement for speeding in the pit lane rounded off an evening of frustration for the team and for Esteban.

Pierre made a clean start from the twentieth on the grid and gained some places early on. He was the first car to pit on lap 9 for new Hards as he set his sights on the top ten. A second pit-stop for Hards on lap 25 meant he could undercut Yuki Tsunoda and put pressure on Alex Albon for the final points-scoring position. A VSC on lap 40 for Charles Leclerc’s stranded Ferrari gifted Pierre the chance to pit for Softs to take him to the end of the race. After passing Albon for ninth place, taking the Fastest Lap in the process, Pierre hunted Valtteri Bottas for eighth, finishing just 1.1 seconds short at the chequered flag after closing down a 17-second deficit.

Esteban Ocon, started P9, DNF:

Today was not our day. Unfortunately, we made too many operational mistakes, costing us today. We need to analyse all the details and learn from those quickly. We’ll take it on the chin together as a team and look forward to the next race, where we’ll return stronger. On a positive note, our race pace and performance were good, and we had the speed to have both cars inside the points. I’m already looking forward to Jeddah. We’re going there determined to bounce back and get our season underway.

Pierre Gasly, started P20, finished P9:

I’m happy with today’s race, and it’s a great way to mark my debut with Alpine. After yesterday’s Qualifying, we were all disappointed as that’s not where we aimed to be, so well done to the entire team for their hard work in turning it around for the race. It was always going to be challenging to take points today, but we had confidence in the performance of our race car, and we knew we had a chance to score points with a good strategy. We need to continue to work hard, we have a good base, and it’s important we now build on that. I know there’s much more to come from us. It was a pity what happened to Esteban, and we’ll debrief collectively to ensure we’re in a better position to help both cars score points.

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal

While we can be satisfied to come away with points from today’s race, given how everything played out, we also leave Bahrain knowing we have a lot of hard work ahead of us. On Esteban’s side, and operationally, we must do better to ensure no repeat of what happened today. We demonstrated that we had the pace today to have both cars inside the points, which has to be the objective going forward. Pierre did a fantastic job putting behind a very disappointing Saturday and returned strongly to go from the back of the grid to the points, so credit him on a solid debut. It’s been a busy and intense two weeks for the team in Bahrain, and we look forward to returning to Viry and Enstone, where we will debrief as a team, before returning to the track in Jeddah, where we aim for a much-improved performance.

Alpine F1 Team best pictures:

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523. Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Alpine F1 Team A523 nosecone. Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Pierre Gasly (FRA) Alpine F1 Team on the grid. Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523 makes a pit stop. Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Pierre Gasly (FRA) Alpine F1 Team on the grid. Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Otmar Szafnauer (USA) Alpine F1 Team, Team Principal. Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

We were out of position on the grid due to a tricky qualifying session, but we had a good start. (We) made up some positions off the line and then had our elbows out at a couple of moments during the race. We were strong and fighting, and our race pace was better than expected. It was a tough race, with a lot of management, but we made it work. We’re maybe not quite midfield pace, but we’re close, and to get a point in the first race is pretty amazing. I’m super happy and proud of the team; it was a job well done by everyone at Williams Racing.

Logan Sargeant

I absolutely loved every second of my debut race. The first time going off the line was special. I’m proud of the team and think we outperformed everything we expected from testing. Congratulations to Alex and everyone at Williams Racing for scoring the first point of the season. From myself, everything went smoothly from race start to pit stops to Virtual Safety Car. Hopefully, we can use this as a good base and continue to make progress throughout the year.

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance

After yesterday’s frustration, today was a good comeback that got our season off to a strong start. Although scoring a point is always rewarding, there are significantly more positives to take from today. Alex drove expertly, exactly as we know he can, and he gained places and then defended strongly whilst managing his tyres to the end.

Logan enjoyed a fantastic opening race, which has taught him a lot about racing in Formula One; he didn’t make a single mistake, was measured in attack, and was good with his tyres. He and his team have worked hard to get to this position, and they took their opportunity well. This is only the first race of a long season. We have a lot of work to do, but we now have the momentum to build upon and carry forward into the next races in Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Williams F1 Team best pictures:

James Vowles (GBR) Williams Racing Team Principal.
Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Thursday 2nd March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

(L to R): Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams Racing with Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Friday 3rd March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams Racing FW45.
Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Friday 3rd March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams Racing FW45.
Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Saturday 4th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Saturday 4th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Williams Racing FW45.
Formula One World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 5th March 2023. Sakhir, Bahrain.

Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda finished the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain GP just out of the points in 11th, with Dutch teammate Nyck de Vries completing his first race for the team in a creditable 14th place.

Nyck de Vries

I’m pretty satisfied with our race today. It could have been better, and there is room for improvement, but our race pace was decent in performance. Given where we started, it was a good day because we could still fight some cars around us. Not pitting under the VSC meant I was driving on the hard compound tyre for the remainder of the race, but ultimately, the mileage and experience will help us for the season. Points weren’t possible today, so we’ll look ahead to Saudi Arabia, which is a bit quicker, meaning the midfield will look different again. We know there’s more work to do, but as a team, we’ll continue to work hard on the areas that require improvements to give us a stronger performance moving forward.

Yuki Tsunoda

The race pace was better than we expected, but at the same time, it’s very frustrating to just miss out on points. The start was the decisive moment as I lost some positions to Williams, and their straight-line speed was too strong for us, so we couldn’t overtake them. I’m happy with my tyre management, although we struggled more than we thought. As soon as we wanted to push, the tyres began to overheat, and I started to slide around and lose the rear. We have more work to develop the car to consistently fight the midfield, starting with Saudi Arabia. Since we struggled with high-speed performance, Saudi might be difficult, but I’m staying positive as I’m sure the team and I can extract speed from the car to score points.

JODY EGGINTON – Technical Director

Both Yuki and Nyck have done an excellent job tonight, from lights out to the chequered flag. They managed the tyres well, provided good feedback to the pit wall, and performed well. The AT04 continues to run very reliably, which is positive. Although we’ve been fighting for the final points positions with Yuki tonight, with Nyck also putting in solid lap times, we primarily lack grip. Our aero development is the key to addressing this limitation, so this is the focus. The call to bring Yuki in under the VSC for his final stop was a no-brainer. However, we missed out by not pitting Nyck simultaneously, so the strategy group needed to review the numbers to see why this call appeared marginal. Although the season’s first race is over, the aero development race continues unabated, with the aero and manufacturing groups focused on delivering updates on a rolling basis to move the performance forward.

FRANZ TOST – Team Principal

First of all, congratulations to Red Bull Racing for a fantastic start to the season, finishing with a one-two and so far ahead of the rest of the field. From our side, I am not satisfied with our performance. We have a lot to work on from a technical point of view as the car isn’t on the level I expect. We know where the car’s deficiencies are, and we have to work to increase the performance with new upgrades, which I hope will be effective when they arrive. After qualifying P14 and P19, we recovered in the race, and I must say that both drivers did a good job. Yuki pushed hard to finish in the top 10, but unfortunately, he missed out by a couple of tenths. Nyck also did well in the race; he needed to learn the car’s characteristics in race conditions and get as much experience as possible.

Scuderia AlphaTauri Team best pictures:

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 03: Yuki Tsunoda of Scuderia AlphaTauri and Japan during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 03, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 04: Yuki Tsunoda of Scuderia AlphaTauri and Japan during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 04, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 04: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan and Scuderia AlphaTauri poses for a photo with Sean Garnier and Viki Gomez prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 04, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Nyck de Vries of Netherlands and Scuderia AlphaTauri and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes shake hands prior to the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Nyck de Vries of Netherlands driving the (21) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04 makes a pitstop during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 05, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Team Principal Andrea Stella after the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Lando moves up to P10 at the end of the first lap. Oscar picks up two places to complete lap 1 in P16. Lando has a pneumatic issue and is forced to pit, swapping for Hards. A flurry of pit stops follows. Oscar passes HUL into Turn 1, moving up to P13. Pitting on lap 13, Oscar is forced to retire the car due to an electronic issue. Managing a PU issue, Lando makes multiple pits stops in order to take the car the full race distance. Lando crosses the line in P17.

Lando Norris

A very tough race. We had a few issues we had to manage, which really took us out of the race, but we tried to stay in it for as long as possible, just in case there was a Safety Car or something, and we might have had a chance at the end. I think the pace was alright otherwise. There are too many issues today to fight for points, so we’ll go again next time.

Oscar Piastri

It was disappointing to have finished so soon. 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 to change 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 a better pace in the race. I still learned a lot, and I’m glad I’ve made my debut and experienced some F1 race weekend firsts. I’m now looking forward to having a better weekend in Saudi Arabia.

Andrea Stella

It’s not the start of the season for which we were hoping. Points were certainly possible today, the cars had a competitive pace in race stints, and Lando was in a strong position. Unfortunately, we were hit by two reliability issues.

Oscar had to retire with what appears to be an electrical problem which we are investigating. Meanwhile, Lando had a pneumatic pressure leak on the power unit side. It required him to pit every ten laps to recharge the system.

We leave Bahrain knowing we have work, but the season is long. We’ll regroup and will be ready to go again in Saudi Arabia.

McLaren Racing best pictures:

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, in the garage

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60, leaves the garage

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60, in the pits

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60

Haas F1 Team finished with Kevin Magnussen 13th and Nico Hulkenberg 15th at the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, held Sunday at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Hulkenberg lined up from 10th place on Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires while Magnussen was the sole driver on the grid to opt for White hard tires – the Dane from 17th. Both drivers relinquished track position on the opening lap, with Hulkenberg suffering from minor contact and dropping to 15th, while Magnussen brought up the rear on his off-set strategy.

Hulkenberg came in on lap 12, the German switching to hard rubber, before another stop on lap 27, which included a front-wing change. Magnussen pitted on lap 15 for more hard tires before switching to softs on lap 30. Both drivers took the opportunity of a virtual safety car period, caused by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc coming to a halt, to pit for a third time on lap 40, both taking on softs.

Magnussen greeted the checkered flag in 13th place, while Hulkenberg finished his first race for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in 15th position.

Up front, Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen opened the 2023 season with the victory, ahead of teammate Sergio Perez, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso completing the podium.

Kevin Magnussen

I was pleasantly surprised with our race pace. We started P17 but still made up a few positions, and it felt like the pace was all right regarding where we came from. I think we were struggling a lot in testing, and on Friday, with tire wear and in the race, it seemed like we made a step, which is positive. It wasn’t the weekend we dreamed of, but we learned a lot.

Nico Hulkenberg

It was a tricky race – especially the first half. I had contact with someone on lap one, which I didn’t notice, which was a bit frustrating. I had quite a lot missing from the front wing and lost a lot of load and grip, making the first half of the race very tough. We tried to hang in there, but I was going through my tires like a hot knife through butter, so we decided there was no point in continuing like that, and we pitted for a new front wing. We did a race distance and got lots of good information, so we’ll take that.

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team

The result wasn’t what we expected – Nico didn’t have a great start losing a front wing endplate, and Kevin was, in hindsight, on the wrong tire at the start. I think the race pace was better than we expected, and that’s what we take away from here – there is good potential in the car. If everything went perfectly, we qualified in the top 10 and maybe could have been in the top eight. It didn’t go our way in the race, but we learned a lot and now know that we’re in the ballpark on race pace like everybody else. We go to Jeddah well prepared and will see what we can do there – I  think points are possible.

Haas F1 Team best pictures:

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, BAHRAIN – MARCH 02: Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team during the Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday March 02, 2023 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Sutton / LAT Images)

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, BAHRAIN – MARCH 02: Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team during the Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday March 02, 2023 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Sutton / LAT Images)

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, BAHRAIN – MARCH 04: Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team during the Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on Saturday March 04, 2023 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, on the grid during the Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday March 05, 2023 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Mechanics bring Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23, to the grid during the Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday March 05, 2023 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, BAHRAIN – MARCH 05: Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team, on the grid during the Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday March 05, 2023 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)