Bahrain GP

The waiting is finally over, the 2023 F1 season is under way and we will have results today with Free Practice 3 and Qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

[Fernando Alonso](https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-drivers/fernando-alonso/) proved that all the pre-season talk around Aston Martin was not purely hype as he topped the timesheets for Free Practice 2, ahead of world champion [Max Verstappen](https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-drivers/max-verstappen/). Here are the timesheets from Saturday's Free Practice 3: The waiting is finally over, the 2023 F1 season is under way and we will have results today with Free Practice 3 and Qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Watch F1 live with the On Track GP team as they settle in for the first race of the new F1 season in Bahrain.

Join us for the first Grand Prix of the year in Bahrain. Verstappen stormed to pole position and joining him on the front row is team-mate Sergio Perez. The new season is here!

Lap-by-lap updates: Can Ferrari challenge the supremacy of Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the first race of 2023? Join Daniel Harris.

Lap 13/57 Hamilton pits – Russell wanted to a couple of laps ago – and here comes Alonso, looking to nail him down the straight! Hamilton, meanwhile, is out of the pits in seventh, while Piastri, the next big hope, is in the pit with some kind of issue and he looks to be done for today; what a disaster this weekend has been for him. Otherwise, Gasly is first to pit and presumably will prompt others to do the same. Lap 22/57 Alonso has been pestering his team to find out if action has been taken against the cad who he reckons impeded him on the first lap; his team, of course, don’t want to tell him it’s Stroll, his teammate. Verstappen and Perez are on softs, but Albon is the only other member of the top 10 not using hards. Lap 29/57 Lando Nozza pits again, comes out in 19th, behind Hulkenberg, and he’s another who’s had better days. Lap 16/57 “Just as well I haven’t subscribed to Sky!” sighs Anne Williams. Alonso is back in fifth, and does Hamilton have the power to respond? Lap 49/57 Verstappen’s lead has stayed around 10s for the last bit and I guess he’s no reason to push it. and he attacks down the straight, nails Hamilton on the inside … The gaps between the top four are significant, but Hamilton is 2.363s behind Sainz in fifth, with Alonso 0.596s behind him in sixth … Lap 55/57 Tsunoda is now in DRS range but we focus on Verstappen, who will have fewer more serene evenings.

Ferrari Formula 1 team engineer Jock Clear is adamant the Maranello outfit can fight Red Bull in the Bahrain Grand Prix, having made gains on tyre ...

So we've tried to eat into that as well. I think as you've seen, we don't believe it is at the moment. [Red Bull swept the front row at Sakhir](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-bahrain-gp-verstappen-leads-red-bull-1-2-for-season-opener/10439590/) with [Max Verstappen](https://www.autosport.com/driver/max-verstappen/829269/) on pole and his team-mate [Sergio Perez](https://www.autosport.com/driver/sergio-perez/829668/) alongside. “So hopefully we can manifest that today with actually challenging Red Bull over the race distance. “We worked a lot last year on our tyre management,” he explained. I think we can make a race of it.

Rival teams Red Bull and Ferrari are expecting Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin to mount an even stronger challenge in Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix after ...

[PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/the-tangible-steps-alpine-has-taken-to-meeting-its-humble-f1-2023-targets/10436929/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/the-key-factors-behind-f1s-premier-league-style-managerial-revolving-door/10436947/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/what-controls-the-frontline-in-the-latest-tech-battles-in-f1-design/10437528/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/the-rookies-looking-to-make-their-mark-on-f1-in-2023/10436950/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/a-bad-week-or-the-dark-horse-from-f1-testing/10437958/) "And I think already not only this year but last year.

Formula One is back with the Bahrain Grand Prix serving as the first race of the 2023 season today.

“I think we have a good race package. It will depend a bit race to race but we can race with this. We might be hearing those a few more times in 2023... No power" over the team radio. [Bahrain Grand Prix](/topic/bahrain-grand-prix) LIVE! “In terms of qualifying pace, they are actually pretty similar to us, at least we managed to extract the lap time yesterday, but then we come to the race and we are one second a lap off the pace which was huge.

LEWIS HAMILTON arrived for the Bahrain GP rocking an all-brown outfit with fears already emerging about the season ahead.He is known for his love of s.

But it’s quite hard with the concept we have. "Do I believe we can close the gap at some stage? "We found out we’re a long way off. "It’s going to be milliseconds, not closing the gap of a second." [Max Verstappen stormed to pole](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/21593102/verstasppen-bahrain-f1-gp-pole-hamilton-woe/) in qualifying for the [Bahrain GP](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/21316588/f1-bahrain-grand-prix-date-uk-start-time-stream-tv-channel/). [Mercedes](https://www.thesun.co.uk/topic/mercedes-benz/) being able to close the gap at some point, the season opener in Bahrain might come too soon.

Ferrari believe improvements in their car's tyre degradation and straight-line speed will help them challenge Red Bull in Bahrain.

But again, I think we’re comfortable with the fact that we’ve closed that gap.” Ferrari has made reliability improvements to their power unit which suffered a series of failures which cost the team potential wins last year. “Now if that pace, the best tyre-saving we can do to give us the best stints, turns out not to be quite as quick as Red Bull’s, then that’s what we’re going to find out today. “So I think if nothing else, we’ve given the drivers that psychological boost this year that either way round, if they’ve got Red Bulls behind them, they’re not actually going to have to be fearing for every breaking point. “It’s obviously very intimidating for the driver just to know that the guy behind him has got a 6kph advantage on him. “We worked a lot last year on our tyre management and certainly at the end of the year I think we made some very good progress. And similarly, if they get behind a Red Bull, and they get the DRS and they get the tow, they can really attack. But I really believe this afternoon when Charles gets a sniff of those Red Bulls, I think, he and Carlos can take the fight to them.”Yesterday Sainz admitted he was concerned Red Bull would be even further ahead of them in the race. All the teams at some stage will go out and do that and we did that and then we say, okay, if we’re just pushing flat-out, the drivers are driving as fast as they think they can, you see some pretty horrific degradation. “What you have to recognise is teams have to recognise what you can do to tyre-save. “Clearly Red Bull have done a very good job, Aston Martin has done a good job and Mercedes are always there. However Leclerc ran Verstappen closer than expected in qualifying and his coach Jock Clear said the team is satisfied with how their car has behaved over the opening weekend of the season so far.

Red Bull's Max verstappen and Sergio Perez delivered the perfect 1-2 result to open their 2023 campaign, with Fernando Alonso third.

The Spaniard was complaining about his car bouncing, but he was still just about able to stay ahead of Hamilton who was on slightly older tyres. But what goes around comes around, and this year it was Leclerc's turn to suffer a technical failure: "No power, no power, no power," he yelled over the team radio as the car came to a halt on lap 40, triggering a brief Virtual Safety Car for the SF-23 to be retrieved. Williams and Haas used the VSC opportunity for a cheeky free pit stop for their drivers, while Tsunoda was able to pass his team mate de Vries as the rookie was distracted trying to find his way past Zhou. Behind them Stroll was looking secure in seventh ahead of Russell followed by Bottas, Albon, Gasly, Tsunoda, Sargeant, de Vries, Zhou and Magnussen who had got ahead of Haas team mate Hulkenberg, with Ocon and Norris now a lap off the lead with their respective recurring penalty and pneumatic issues respectively. Perez finally pitted on lap 18 and like Verstappen and Albon he opted to stay on the softs. Then it was Sainz and Russell's turn for service next time around, and Stroll did indeed pull off the undercut on Russell that Mercedes had worried about Alonso performing on Hamilton. Everyone had swapped soft tyres for the hard compound, with the exception of Verstappen and Albon who had stayed on the softs for a second stint. Meanwhile Hamilton had made his own pit stop and moved from the soft tyres to the hard, as had Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, Nico Hulkenberg and Nyck de Vries. Behind them, Alonso and Hamilton went side-by-side and the spoils went to Hamilton as Lance Stroll ran hot into turn 4 and hit his team mate, allowing Russell to claim sixth. Stroll made up for his earlier misdemeanour with a nice move on Bottas into turn 1 on lap 5 for eighth place, while further back Norris succeeded in picking off Sargeant for 12th. Four laps into the race, Verstappen had already pulled out a three second lead over Leclerc who was pushing hard and locking up. Everyone (bar Kevin Magnussen starting in P17 on the hard compound) was starting on soft tyres for the first stint.

Max Verstappen eased to a dominant win at the Bahrain GP as Red Bull left their competition behind to start the 2023 Formula 1 season, while Fernando Alonso ...

For Ferrari, all appeared to be going to plan - running comfortably in third and fourth - before Leclerc, who had his engine battery replaced before the race, ground to a halt on Lap 40. The race coming the day after team boss Toto Wolff remarkably admitted that the car concept would have to be changed for Mercedes to compeitiive again, Hamilton and Russell were only really in the fight after Aston Martin's scruffy start and couldn't keep the green cars at bay in the race. Again, it was a feisty battle - and there was a slight touch after a scrap through Turn Four - but Alonso again dazzled through the twisty middle sector before getting ahead of Sainz on the straight. Mercedes capitalised to get ahead of Aston Martin after Alonso and Stroll's first-lap scuffles but the double world champion got ahead of Russell on Lap 13, and then superbly hunted down Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas was 'best of the rest' for Alfa Romeo ahead of Pierre Gasly in the Alpine and the impressive Alex Albon for Williams. In the end, Hamilton and Russell had to settle for fifth and seventh in their underperforming W14 cars.

Max Verstappen dominated Formula 1's 2023 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix to win ahead of Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso, while Charles Leclerc lost a ...

[PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/the-tangible-steps-alpine-has-taken-to-meeting-its-humble-f1-2023-targets/10436929/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/the-key-factors-behind-f1s-premier-league-style-managerial-revolving-door/10436947/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/what-controls-the-frontline-in-the-latest-tech-battles-in-f1-design/10437528/) [PlusPlusFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-autosport-is-changing-how-it-ranks-f1-drivers-from-2023-onwards/10437393/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/the-rookies-looking-to-make-their-mark-on-f1-in-2023/10436950/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain February Testing ](/f1/news/a-bad-week-or-the-dark-horse-from-f1-testing/10437958/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain GP ](/f1/news/how-f1s-comeback-merchant-can-make-a-lasting-impression-at-haas/10438979/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Bahrain GP ](/f1/news/why-f1s-new-rules-cant-yet-be-ruled-a-total-success/10439004/) Petersburg: Ericsson beats O’Ward in crash-filled opener [INDY IndyCar ](/indycar/news/mclaughlin-big-mistake-took-out-grosjean-in-st-pete-indycar-battle/10440364/) Ericsson shuns idea that St. [INDY IndyCar ](/indycar/news/ericsson-shuns-idea-that-st-pete-win-wasnt-deserved/10440381/)

Max Verstappen and Red Bull make dominant start to the F1 season in Bahrain, with veteran Fernando Alonso securing third on Aston Martin debut after Charles ...

Over in the garage, Piero Ferrari, the younger and only surviving son of Enzo Ferrari, removed his headphones in seeming dejection. Now teams can only spend £110million — or thereabouts depending on the exchange rate — and cannot raid fat coffers in search of a solution. Affecting this step change is not easy in this era of the cost cap. Caught in the trail of destruction are Mercedes, of course. This was the Dutchman's 10th win in 12 races, and his 17th in 24 stretching back to that fateful evening in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2021. Not only are the Scuderia off the pace, but Charles Leclerc suffered an as-yet undiagnosed engine problem when lying third. 'I want to win championships, not come second, and that is what every single person in Mercedes wants to do. 'It was one of the worst days in racing,' admitted Wolff, whose honesty cannot be faulted. 'Red Bull are just on a different planet. Many along the paddock could not believe their ears. Russell continued his narrative of hard reality by saying: 'Red Bull have got this championship sewn up and I don't think anybody will be fighting with them this year. Fernando Alonso, rampant in a newly invigorated Aston Martin, was an isolated 38 seconds adrift.