Verstappen won the 2023 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 2023 Formula One World Championship kicked off on Sunday with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Dominating the field was Red Bull Racing, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen finishing one-two, 12 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.
Rounding out the top three was Fernando Alonso in his first race for Aston Martin. Double world champion Fernando Alonso finished about 38 seconds behind the winner.
Red Bull secured the front row of the starting grid with Verstappen in pole position. Perez lost a place to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and had to defend third place from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.
Behind him, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll made contact with Alonso as they entered turn 4, allowing Mercedes-Benz AMG's Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to move ahead. Alonso then had a great battle, first passing Russell and then Hamilton.
Up front, Verstappen and Perez had a lonely race. However, Leclerc had a problem. After putting pressure on Perez, Leclerc's Ferrari was forced to retire on lap 41 when his car stopped. As a result, Sainz moved up to third place, but was passed by Alonso four laps later and missed the podium.
Elsewhere, Williams' Alexander Albon finished 10th, and American driver Logan Sarjant, making his F1 debut, finished 12th. Rookies Nyk de Vries and Oscar Piastri had contrasting results. While Piastri retired on lap 14 after a failed steering wheel change, de Vries had a solid run in the Alfatauri, finishing 14th.
After last weekend, Verstappen leads the 2023 Drivers' Championship with 25 points, with Perez in second with 18 and Alonso in third with 15. In the constructors' championship, Red Bull leads with 43 points, Aston Martin has 23 points, and Mercedes has 16 points. The next race is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in two weeks.
Full results for the 2023 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix are as follows:
1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 2) Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing) +11.987s 3) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +38.637s 4) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +48.052s 5) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Benz AMG) +50.977s 6) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +54.502s 7) George Russell (Mercedes-Benz AMG) +55.873s 8) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo, +72.647 seconds 9) Pierre Gasly, Alfa Tauri +73.753 seconds 10) Alexander Albon, Williams +89.77s 11) Hiroki Tsunoda, Alfa Tauli +90.870 seconds 12) Logan Sergeant, Williams +1 lap 13) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap 14) Nick de Vries, Alfa-Tauli +1 lap 15) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +1 lap 16) Guan Yu Zhou, Alfa Romeo +1 lap 17) Lando Norris, McLaren +1 lap NC) Esteban Ocon, Alpine - DNF NC) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari - DNF NC) Oscar PIASTRY, McLaren - DNF [19]
