Red Bull were untouchable in the opening race of the 2023 season, not least because they were able to run a more aggressive tyre strategy than their rivals.
The RB19s were the only cars among the front-runners to tackle the race using two sets of soft tyres on a two-stop strategy. While Max Verstappen scooted off into the distance, Sergio Perez used his extra time on faster rubber to easily jump ahead of Charles Leclerc, who passed him at the start.The opening corners of the race did not go well for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso had out-qualified both Mercedes but was behind them by lap two.
Mercedes were anxious to avoid Alonso enjoying the benefit of fresh rubber before either of their drivers, however, and brought both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in for their first stops before the Aston Martin driver came in. That was repeated the second time around, leaving Alonso with tyres that were six laps fresher than Hamilton’s, and he pressed home his advantage to pass the Mercedes.
“And we wanted to do a good show for you guys, pass on track and not in the pits. Joking! No, honestly at the end of the day it was really executed properly.”
Alonso went on to demote Carlos Sainz Jnr’s Ferrari for third place. Whether he would have been able to catch and pass Leclerc will never truly be known, as his Ferrari didn’t reach the end of the race.
Red Bull won the championships last year not by having the car that was quickest over a single lap – Ferrari took more pole positions than them – but by being fastest over a race distance. The evidence of the first race of 2023 is Aston Martin has learned this lesson better than any of Red Bull’s rivals.
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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix lap chart
The positions of each driver on every lap. Click name to highlight, right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:
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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix race chart
The gaps between each driver on every lap compared to the leader’s average lap time. Very large gaps omitted. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix lap times
All the lap times by the drivers (in seconds, very slow laps excluded). Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and toggle drivers using the control below:
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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix fastest laps
Each driver’s fastest lap:
Rank | No. | Driver | Car | Lap time | Gap | Average speed (kph) | Lap no. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’33.996 | 207.28 | 56 | |
2 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | 1’35.068 | 1.072 | 204.94 | 42 |
3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’35.257 | 1.261 | 204.53 | 50 |
4 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | 1’36.037 | 2.041 | 202.87 | 42 |
5 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’36.156 | 2.160 | 202.62 | 36 |
6 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1’36.236 | 2.240 | 202.45 | 44 |
7 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1’36.344 | 2.348 | 202.23 | 37 |
8 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1’36.471 | 2.475 | 201.96 | 42 |
9 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’36.546 | 2.550 | 201.8 | 36 |
10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’36.546 | 2.550 | 201.8 | 32 |
11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | 1’36.616 | 2.620 | 201.66 | 42 |
12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | 1’36.637 | 2.641 | 201.61 | 42 |
13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1’36.797 | 2.801 | 201.28 | 34 |
14 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1’37.035 | 3.039 | 200.79 | 42 |
15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 1’37.130 | 3.134 | 200.59 | 37 |
16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 1’37.144 | 3.148 | 200.56 | 43 |
17 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’37.170 | 3.174 | 200.51 | Multiple laps |
18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’37.379 | 3.383 | 200.08 | 31 |
19 | 21 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | 1’37.709 | 3.713 | 199.4 | 30 |
20 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’40.691 | 6.695 | 193.49 | 3 |
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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix tyre strategies
The tyre strategies for each driver:
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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix pit stop times
How long each driver’s pit stops took:
Rank | No. | Driver | Team | Complete stop time (s) | Gap to best (s) | Stop no. | Lap no. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 24.227 | 2 | 31 | |
2 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 24.264 | 0.037 | 1 | 17 |
3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 24.289 | 0.062 | 1 | 14 |
4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 24.345 | 0.118 | 1 | 13 |
5 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 24.372 | 0.145 | 2 | 26 |
6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 24.406 | 0.179 | 2 | 31 |
7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 24.458 | 0.231 | 3 | 40 |
8 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 24.5 | 0.273 | 1 | 13 |
9 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 24.639 | 0.412 | 2 | 30 |
10 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 24.644 | 0.417 | 2 | 33 |
11 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 24.682 | 0.455 | 1 | 12 |
12 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 24.69 | 0.463 | 2 | 30 |
13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 24.736 | 0.509 | 3 | 40 |
14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 24.869 | 0.642 | 2 | 34 |
15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 24.879 | 0.652 | 2 | 25 |
16 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 24.91 | 0.683 | 2 | 36 |
17 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 24.92 | 0.693 | 2 | 26 |
18 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 24.966 | 0.739 | 1 | 12 |
19 | 21 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri | 25.018 | 0.791 | 1 | 11 |
20 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 25.047 | 0.82 | 3 | 40 |
21 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 25.054 | 0.827 | 1 | 11 |
22 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 25.091 | 0.864 | 2 | 34 |
23 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 25.125 | 0.898 | 3 | 40 |
24 | 21 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri | 25.234 | 1.007 | 2 | 27 |
25 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 25.267 | 1.04 | 1 | 10 |
26 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 25.282 | 1.055 | 2 | 32 |
27 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 25.344 | 1.117 | 2 | 29 |
28 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 25.399 | 1.172 | 1 | 11 |
29 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 25.439 | 1.212 | 1 | 15 |
30 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 25.449 | 1.222 | 1 | 15 |
31 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 25.6 | 1.373 | 1 | 12 |
32 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 25.643 | 1.416 | 2 | 29 |
33 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 25.67 | 1.443 | 2 | 30 |
34 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 25.787 | 1.56 | 1 | 12 |
35 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 25.8 | 1.573 | 1 | 14 |
36 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 25.818 | 1.591 | 3 | 40 |
37 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 25.885 | 1.658 | 1 | 9 |
38 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 26.075 | 1.848 | 1 | 11 |
39 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 27.062 | 2.835 | 1 | 13 |
40 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 27.08 | 2.853 | 3 | 40 |
41 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 30.167 | 5.94 | 3 | 54 |
42 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 30.71 | 6.483 | 5 | 47 |
43 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 31.494 | 7.267 | 6 | 54 |
44 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 32.766 | 8.539 | 1 | 10 |
45 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 33.236 | 9.009 | 4 | 37 |
46 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 33.467 | 9.24 | 3 | 27 |
47 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 33.661 | 9.434 | 2 | 17 |
48 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 37.769 | 13.542 | 2 | 26 |
49 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 41.462 | 17.235 | 2 | 15 |
50 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 44.518 | 20.291 | 3 | 32 |
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
- FIA no longer applying its limit on F1 cars ‘porpoising’
- Why F1’s 2023 tyres are requiring drivers to change their management style
- The familiar and unfamiliar problems holding McLaren back at the start of 2023
- ‘Not like a rookie’: How McLaren glimpsed Piastri’s potential in curtailed debut
- “I’m a shouty guy”: Tsunoda told to rein in “emotional” radio chatter
Jimmy Cliff
6th March 2023, 7:54
Looking at the 2nd stint Max made his soft tire last longer and drove faster than Mercedes, Ferrari and AM.
The gap with Perez was made in the first stint – driving on average 0.8 second per lap faster than Perez.
MG1982 (@mg1982)
6th March 2023, 8:26
Top speed data? Is it true that SF-23’s top speed increased by 10km/h?