Race Recap: F1 2023 Bahrain GP
Finally, the wait is over. It has been a long winter, but Formula 1 fans can put a stop to the endless weekends without races.
A little over a week ago, F1 started its test session in Bahrain. Teams had been presenting their cars during the previous weeks. Some teams showed us renders, others the real deal, and took them for a spin around the track.
After much speculation about real pace and performance, finally the 2023 season kicked off with the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Practice sessions shed a little light on what was to come on Saturday’s qualifying, and Sunday’s race.
Red Bull looked strong on their practice programs; both ‘Checo’ and Max showed significant pace during their race simulation and they topped 2 of the 3 practice sessions respectively. Alonso topped the other one.
Ferrari had good pace around the track, however, on the race simulation, they detected huge issues with degradation. This is something they carried from the tests a week ago. The car, although quick on the straights and a bit decent on the bends, could not sustain proper race pace due to the tires wearing out quickly.
Mercedes was doused with a bit of reality when their pace was not as good as Red Bull and Ferrari. During the weekend they even struggled to keep ahead of Alonso’s Aston Martin.
Qualifying Session
The 3 sessions were more or less without any surprises for the big teams. Perhaps the big disappointment was Pierre Gasly. The French moved to Alpine for this season, and was expected to at least get to Q2.
On Q2 Norris was knocked out along Bottas, Zhou, Tsunoda, Albon. Perhaps people expected a bit more from Haas, and evidently McLaren.
Q3 has a bit of emotions at the top. Alonso used his last set of new option tires and placed himself in 5th place. Leclerc placed 3rd. His lap was decent but was not able to improve it because Ferrari decided to return the car back to the pits due to reliability concerns.
Sainz got 4th and of course, Red Bull secured the front row with Verstappen on top.
Mercedes Q3 was good, considering the little hopes they had during tests and practice sessions. No surprise there because Mercedes likes to play mind games. Perhaps their pace is not as bad as they make it seem, but it’s obvious they are not even close to Red Bull.
Race
The race had a pretty decent start. Ferrari tried to snag Perez out of the podium spot but the Mexican managed to stay there for a while, until Leclerc overtook him. Degradation is a problem Ferrari has been carrying since the tests a week ago.
Ferrari's team director Fred Vasseur pointed out that the problem was probably due to an incorrect setup. He mentioned the fact that for qualifying, the SF-23 was more or less on pace with Red Bull, and that it was strange to them not being carried over to the race.
It was going to be hard for Ferrari to keep up the top positions later during the race.
Red Bull was in a league of their own. Verstappen was basically cruising. Perez was a few seconds behind, not being a threat at all, but being a great escort, keeping the top 2 spots secure for the team.
Ferrari was hanging in there with 3rd and 4th but Leclerc’s reliability woes became present. The team previously changed its energy store because it was not charging as intended. We saw him bail on Q3 earlier than the rest.
Leclerc ended up abandoning the race due to the very same problem they feared. The car turned off; he had no power.
Red Bull was lapping 7 tenths to a second faster than Ferrari.
Mercedes was on the prowl, fighting with Alonso for 4th, or even a potential podium. With Leclerc’s DNF, it was up to Sainz to secure the final spot on the podium.
Sainz complained about degradation, and when Alonso was closing in on him, he radioed the team and said that if he got engaged in the fight, he would not be able to make it to the end. Alonso got past him with a fair move.
Mercedes was not able to overtake Sainz despite his tires having no grip. Ferrari is very good on the straights, and it showed how weak Mercedes’ chassis is; they were no match for a limping Ferrari. Perhaps the track's nature favored Ferrari.
Red Bull won this race quite easily to be honest. Their pace is just tremendously far from the rest. Verstappen says the next race in Saudi Arabia is not going to be as dominant. Let’s see if it’s true; everyone likes to play the underdog.
The curious case of Esteban Ocon
Ocon was given 3 penalties during the race. The first one came because he places himself a bit off on the grid after the installation lap. He was given a 5 second penalty that the team had to serve on the next pitstop.
His second penalty came serving the first one. The issue came because the mechanics started working on the car too early. The problem was because the timer was offset by 4 tenths, so the mechanics thought they were in the clear. Another 5 second penalty was issued.
The third penalty came because of over speeding in the pit lane, on his way to serve the second penalty. Ocon pressed the pit limiter button a bit too late.
Alpine’s race was definitely ruined by these bizarre incidents. Perhaps they can show us more of what they really have in the next race.
Anyway, here are the standings:
Here are the constructor standings:
What are your thoughts on the Bahrain GP? Let me know in the comments below.
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