Bahrain Top 5

These are my top five take aways from the first Grand Prix of the 2023 season.

Number 1: Fernando Alonso reminded everyone why he’s here to stay

Fernando Alonso is a two-time world champion and you better not forget that. He might be the oldest driver on the grid but his time in the sport is far from over. It has become increasingly clear that all he needed was a team that believed in him and could provide the equipment he needed to fight for race wins. During the race, he seemed like he actually enjoyed the race which is vastly different from what we’ve seen in recent years.

Number 2: Aston Martin came to fight in 2023

During preseason testing, Aston Martin managed to put in times that put the team at the top of the time classifications. Considering the team’s performance the last few seasons, this was a surprising show. The show didn’t stop after testing and the team continued to fight for places in the top ten during the race weekend. Lance Stroll was able to split the Mercedes drivers in sixth place and Fernando Alsonso drove his way onto the first podium of 2023. In my opinion, this team might have had the best performance during the weekend. The jump in performance made by this team in 2023 makes it completely reasonable to say that they will be fighting for wins and podiums this year.

Number 3: It’s going to be a long road for McLaren

While Aston Martin was having the best weekend of their lives, McLaren was just hoping the weekend would be over as soon as possible. Rookie driver Oscar Piastri ended his first F1 race with a DNF. His first qualifying was not the best and the weekend went from bad to worse when he experienced an electrical issue during the race forcing him to retire the car. The team’s troubles didn’t end there. Lando Norris would go on to pit six times due to a series of power unit issues and he would end the race as the last classified driver.

Number 4: The Bahrain Curse

Max Verstappen brought home the win in the season opener but will he bring home his third consecutive title in 2023? The results of the last few Drivers’ Championships have led to a superstition being born. On seven different occasions, the winner of the Bahrain Grand Prix goes on to win second place in the championship. The main difference this year however is how far ahead Red Bull seems to be. Multiple teams have commented that Red Bull is so far ahead that no one will be able to catch them. After watching the Grand Prix it feels like if there’s a year for the curse to be broken it's 2023.

Number 5: 2023 is shaping up to be a good year for Williams

There was so much going on during the race that it felt like Williams was able to fly under the radar when it came to their performance. After the less-than-stellar few seasons Williams has experienced, bringing home points at the first race feels like an incredible accomplishment (in my opinion). Alex Albon scored the team’s first point of the season and rookie driver Logan Sargeant finished the race in 12th place. Sargeant’s performance was arguably the best of the three rookies drivers and I wouldn’t be surprised if he earns his first F1 Championship points at one of the next few races.

The season is just getting starting so there is no way to know how the year will end but it is sure to be an exciting one!