Grand Prix 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

The 2023 F1 season is a upon us. As in 2022 we start in Bahrain with 57 laps of the imaginatively named Bahrain International Circuit. The circuit is 5.412 km long. Given the accuracy of the measurement I'm disappointed we don't have centimeters detailed.

Here are the timings for UK viewers:

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You may recall at last year's race we had a Ferrari 1-2, with both Red Bull cars our before the end of lap 4 with fuel system problems. We might have an exciting championship, with multiple teams vying for wins, we thought. Then Ferrari did what Ferrari's does best and slowly dissolved into ignominy, meanwhile the Red Bull car got better and better and Max Verstappen went on to romp to the title winning 15 of the 22 races. Mercedes, the dominant team of the "hybrid era" got it all wrong with the new rules and took nearly the whole season to sort their car, managing only a solitary win for new boy George Russell in Brazil.

What has testing told us? The Race website ranks the teams performances as:

1st Red Bull
2nd Ferrari
3rd Aston Martin
4th Mercedes
5th Alpine
6th Alfa Romeo
7th Haas
8th Alpha Tauri
9th McLaren
10th Williams


Every season some suggests that testing tells us nothing, even though every season the team that is fastest in testing goes on to win lots of races. But what the heck, let's not let reality get in the way of our hopes that 2023 won't be another Max and Red Bull walk over. The performance of Aston Martin has raised a few positive eyebrows, whilst the performance of McLaren has raised them for the opposite reason. Even McLaren have been playing down their chances, saying there is a lot to do with the car.

As always, at the start of every new F1 season I have hopes of the excitement of 1982, but without the death and injury, knowing full well that that is almost impossible. All I can hope for is that Ferrari have got closer to Red Bull, and they make fewer catastrophic tactical mistakes. I hope that Mercedes have managed to sort out the performance problems they had with their car, and that another team, whether that is Aston Martin, Alpine, or Alfa Romeo, can actively challenge for podium places even if they can't manage race wins.

Time to strap yourselves in, either to cope with the excitement or to stop yourselves falling out of you chairs as you doze off watching yet another series of processions.
 
FP2 Alonso fastesf
FP3 Alonso Fastest
Qualy Alonso Fifth

The Aston Martin seems to have improved but have still a long way to go, It coulg be interesting if Russel drops a place at the start.
 
It had its moments, but the dominance of Verstappen in the Red Bull is going to be hard to catch. Alonso was impressive in the Aston, I wonder if they will be able to keep it up. Given how little driving Stroll had had, and the injuries he was carrying, he did very well as well.
 
Indeed, a big tip of the hat toward Alonso for a great run.

:goodday:

Yaboo sucks though to all those who got so excited during testing and into Qualifying that they needed screen wipes. Conspicuous by their absence were the multiple columns in the motorsport media analysing the low fuel runs in testing to give us the estimated gaps. I expect a small upturn in audience figures for this one before people realised after lap 2 that it was situation normal.

For info.

Verstappen's pole time 2023 - 1.29.708
Leclerc's pole time 2022 - 1.30.558
 
The Alonso PR machine is certainly back up and running. CH4 coverage seemed more interested in him than the outstanding job Max did. I'm hoping LeClerc can overcome his case of Alesi's and give us some races at somepoint.

....and Mclaren turn up for the first race of the season with a car that is not ready. The more things change the more they stay the same.
 
finally got around to watching that was an ok race, i guess the lack of entertainment is do same as why spain got bad as theyve gone 28 & half hours of testing if you include free practise. everyone is going to have "perfect cars"

Slightly worrying as it looks like we are 2011 2013 vettel webber territory, when red bull & verstappen are that ominously good that really if max qualifies on pole sunday barring reliability is just a formality. just because of the best driver in the best car. 10 secs clear after 13 laps was impressive. we really got to hope that red bull come back to field as expect as the season progresses otherwise championship could be over like in 2004 in the summer

great drive from Alonso, he probably took that race personally from a 3 to a 5-6 out of 10. with some brilliant battles with Sainz, Russell & Hamilton. its incredible what he's doing 22 years later after winning a dakar stage, won 2 le mans & 1 earned 1 given, but for reliability the Indy 500. he's come back to be the 2nd oldest driver podium for 35 years 4 months older than mansell in Adelaide 1994. as it stands i would say he looks best placed to take the fight to red bull, Ferrari & Mercedes look they have alot to do. how funny expectation changes because if you have given Lawrence stroll 4th & 15-20pts off 3rd last year he wouldve taken it. now he would probably call it a disappointing season 3rd maybe 2nd is within range

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RasputinLives i get that Verstappen but its always the curse of any dominating driver that they never get the respect because its just expected. its why some of Hamilton drives particaraly 2018 & 2019 or Schumacher in 2003 or imola 2005 when they was over performing but it was said because he just expected to win because of who he was anything other is a failure.
 
All those who were whinging when Hamilton and Mercedes were winning all the time don't seem to have an issue with Red Bull and Verstappen being totally dominant.

How very odd.
I'm holding off from renewing my Sky subscription (currently lapsed) until I see some evidence that this season is going to be competitive.
 
after all Red bull wouldnt dare do such a thing. the have full confidence in the staff they have


 
Red Bull are so predictable if anyone posts a risk or poses a challenge. just accuse them of cheating just like Mercedes 2021, Ferrari 2022 & now Aston Martin 2023


Actually if you read it they don't accuse them of cheating. They say some of the ex redbull staff have very good memories. Which is absolutely true. The reason Stroll hired the Red Bull staff is for them to bring their knowledge with them.
 
Actually if you read it they don't accuse them of cheating. They say some of the ex redbull staff have very good memories. Which is absolutely true. The reason Stroll hired the Red Bull staff is for them to bring their knowledge with them.
but we all know that "very good memories" is legal speak. as in the mirror article on same subject


"It’s true that what Fallows had in his head cannot be erased," the long-serving Red Bull adviser said. "Copying the focus is not prohibited, but can you copy in such detail without having documentation of our car? We had 3 Red Bulls on the podium, only the last one with a different engine."
 
Conjecture. Not accusing anyone of cheating or lobbying any protest. Just saying the Aston Martin looks very similar to the Red Bull and the way its been achieved was bought not earned.

All very true. Its part of F1 and always has been. I don't see Aston Martin denying it. All a little bit of hullabaloo which usually only makes headlines when we've had a dull race.

The whole "Red Bull are the baddies" storyline is getting as dull as dishwater to me. There is not one team on the grid that wouldn't lie, cheat, steal or sell their dead granny to get to the top.
 
every sport has its pantomime villians & heroes. but agreed on every team cheats & every team tries to take the best people from other scuccessful teams Ferrari have been after Adrian Newey for 20 yrs. every team copies & makes there own version be it Double diffuser, F Duct, FRIC, Blown diffuser, High Rake. & theres a reason why nobody coping the Mercedes

but i dont like the hypocrisy of teams complaining about other teams cheating. when they have been doing the exact same thing. Marko cant be angry at Aston Martin for poaching staff when they poached Mercedes staff for their engine

but then realistically journalists have to write a story. so this wheel will always keep turning
 
Yeah I just wish they'd focus their efforts on the good guys of the sport. Like that Fernando Alonso they are praising for the podium on Sunday! He'd never cheat......wait....no....ok he'd never be involved in a team that stole another teams design after hiring a member of their staff.....no....wait......dam it!

And the wheels keep on turning.
 
My question is why on earth do we have a two week gap between the Bahrain and Saudi GP's when the two circuits are a 15 hour drive or 2 hour flight apart?
 
Yeah I just wish they'd focus their efforts on the good guys of the sport. Like that Fernando Alonso they are praising for the podium on Sunday! He'd never cheat......wait....no....ok he'd never be involved in a team that stole another teams design after hiring a member of their staff.....no....wait......dam it!

And the wheels keep on turning.
Fernando Alonso is the most confusing sportsman going. ive lost count how many hes gone to villian to hero back to villain, LOL watching drive to survive there was 1 clip i.think he likes being the pantomime villain

but there is something weird about old sportsmen. those we hated during their prime all of sudden people love when they are in the twilight of their career. Schumacher hated during his career especially in the uk. but Monaco & Valencia 2012 & its a love in. it will happen to Hamilton in 2024 probally v verstappen
 
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Fernando Alonso claimed he would never return to F1 unless it was in a Championship winning car. So I am a tad confused to see him celebrating a 38 second adrift 3rd place like its some sort of career defining watermark.

But I guess in a land with no water even supermarket own brand cola tastes good.
 
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