Race Changing Moments - 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix

A look back at the historic 1-2 finish in Bahrain

Now

that

was

way

start

season!

1-2

finish

the

first

race

the

year

certainly

was

what

the

Team

wanted

and

deserved

after

such

dominant

weekend.

Here

we’ll

look

the

moments

that

made

the

race

weekend.

Re-live the action

Strong Start

You can never take too much from the Free Practice sessions, but the lowest position Max and Checo finished in any of the FP sessions was P3. Only Fernando Alonso was able to mix it up with the Bulls, it certainly gave the Team confidence heading into the business end of the weekend.

A Front Row Lockout

There was no guarantee that Max and Checo were going to be able to put their RB19s on the front row of the grid. There was always the pressure from the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carls Sainz as well as a rejuvenated Fernando Alonso. But the Bulls both set uncatchable times in their second runs in Q3 which enabled them to secure the front row ahead of their rivals.

Early Battles For The Minister Of Defence

Not The Start He Would’ve Wanted

Checo didn’t get off the line as quickly as he would’ve liked and was soon surrounded by the Ferraris and had to drop back to P3 behind Leclerc. However, Checo is able to make his tyres last better than any other driver on track, so when he came in to the pits on lap 17 for a second set of softs, he knew that he would be able to catch his rival.

He returned to the track 3.8s behind the Monégasque driver who was on hard tyres, and started his hunt. At turn one of the 26th lap Checo was able to take P2 away from Leclerc when the Ferrari man didn’t cover the inside line and Checo was able to slip past into second place and then pull away to ensure his podium finish.

Focused And Primed For The Bulls

Different Tyres, Different Results

Out of the 20 cars, 19 started on soft tyres and it looked like the strategy for most teams was going to be soft-hard-softs. So, when the Team’s rivals came in for their first tyre change it was no surprise to see the white-walled tyres put on. But the Bulls both put used softs on their RB19s and that gave them the chance to pull away from the Ferraris, which they did in fine style.

Retirements Hurting The Opposition

It’s never nice to have to retire from a race (we all remember Bahrain last year), but when Charles Leclerc had to stop his Ferrari on lap 41, it gave the Team a boost in the constructors’ championship.

With Max and Checo claiming a full quota of points and only one Ferrari finishing in the points it puts the Team 20 points clear of the standings, ahead of Aston Martin in second place thanks to a podium finish from Fernando Alonso – his 99th in total – and a 6th place finish for his teammate Lance Stroll.

Checo Secures Podium Finish