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Bahrain GP: FIA Drivers Press Conference.
Today's press conference with Nyck de Vries, Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant, Zhou Guanyu, Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Max Verstappen.
02/03/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass
Q: Fernando, let's start with you. Time flies: your 20th season in Formula 1. How are you feeling? Fresh, ready to go?
Fernando Alonso: Yeah, feels good. I think it's always the same feeling for race one, where you obviously prepare over the winter, and we have less and less testing these days and you feel maybe not 100% ready with the car, especially if you change team. You need a little bit more time to adapt to many new things. But it's the same for everybody. So let's go.
Logan, thank you for waiting. So race one for you as well. How different is your first Grand Prix to all of the other races you've done in your career so far?
Logan Sargeant: Well, obviously, as Nico said, it's on a much bigger stage. But other than that, I feel like it's really just business as usual. Now, it's a bit more juggling preparation and media. But to be honest, you know, I feel very happy with where I was in the test. And I feel comfortable in the car. I feel like I've laid a good foundation and a base to work from so I'm relatively relaxed heading into tomorrow.
Q: Max, coming to you, you're looking relaxed. That to me is the sign of a good winter and a fast racing car.
Max Verstappen: Yeah, but it's not related to the car. I think it's important to always be relaxed.
Q: You had a good winter, what did you get up o?
MV: Yeah, it was good to spend a bit of time with family and friends and enjoy it a bit. Try not to think about Formula 1 too much. Yeah, spend a bit of time at home at some point as well. And get ready for racing again.
‘FIA Drivers Press Conference’;
https://www.pitpass.com/74578/Bahrai...ess-Conference
Hamilton, Verstappen and others convinced Aston Martin are “fully in the fight”
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 3rd March 2023, 7:152nd March 2023, 21:01
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Leading Formula 1 drivers including Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are convinced they will face a stronger threat from Aston Martin this year. The performance of the team’s new AMR23 has been the talk of testing. A race simulation run by its latest hiring, two-times world champion Fernando Alonso, convinced many in F1 that the team has made a significant step forward in the off-season.
Aston Martin ended last year tied on points with Alfa Romeo, who pipped them to seventh place in the standings thanks to a fifth-place scored by Valtteri Bottas. However he is one of several drivers who took note of Aston Martin’s pace in testing. Heading into the new season Bottas suspects his car is “not as fast as the Red Bull, not as fast as the Ferrari – and also Aston looked faster in the race sim.”
Aston Martin, which previously competed as Racing Point, dropped Sergio Perez from its line-up in 2020. Now at Red Bull, Perez still has affection for his former team, and was pleased to see their performance in testing. “They definitely have a strong car,” he said. “They definitely will be fighting. They looked very strong in testing so of course I think they’re going to be very strong through the year,” he added. “They are a great team and I would be very happy for them to be competing at the front.”
“Fully in the fight”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/03/...-in-the-fight/
Bahrain Grand Prix: What the drivers said ahead of the 2023 season opener
02 Mar 2023 9:00 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend is upon us, and the drivers spent their Thursday speaking to the media as they got themselves back in the zone in time for the new season to start.
Friday practice will set the scene for the race weekend, with keen eyes set to be on Sakhir as the pace-shielding from testing finally falls away, and the drivers fully unleash their full potential in their new cars.
PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher is on the ground in Bahrain this weekend, and he was in the thick of the action as the drivers gave their pre-race thoughts ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix – here is just a selection of what they had to say.
‘Pre-race thoughts’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/bahrai...rence-summary/
Verstappen says RB19 is ‘100%’ better than last year’s championship-winning Red Bull as he gears up for title defence
02 March 2023
Formula One - Official Site.
When asked if he felt the team were in a better place than after testing last year, the Dutchman answered “100%,” before going on to say that they had improved “everywhere.”
“That’s the aim,” he continued. “You always try to improve it. It feels nice, well balanced. Every team lost a little bit of performance with the floor [regulation changes] but you always try to gain that back.
“I mean we had three really good days [testing], I think also just in general the progress we made over winter was really good. We need to show it this weekend, and not just this weekend but continue to develop. Every track is also a bit different in terms of the behaviour of the car but the test days were good for us.”
‘100% better’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...1hyDe87s2.html
RACE WEEKEND
FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2023
Formula One - Official Site.
https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2023/Bahrain.html
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Perez fastest as Alonso’s Aston Martin split the Red Bulls in practice.
Sergio Perez retained his position as the quickest driver in pre-season testing by topping the times in first practice in Bahrain, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix first practice
Posted on 3rd March 2023, 12:44
Written by Will Wood
Perez’s best time of a 1’32.758 was just under half a second quicker than Alonso, who himself was faster than the second Red Bull driver of Max Verstappen.
As expected, conditions were clear and warm as the opening timed session of the 2023 session got underway. All 10 cars that set a lap time in the first 10 minutes did so using the medium compound tyres, with Aston Martin’s Alonso setting the early pace with a 1’35.048. That was beaten by the Red Bull of Perez, who posted a 1’34.343 on the mediums, seven tenths faster than the Aston Martin.
The two debutants both had two different moments of concern in the early running. Logan Sargeant reported the smell of something burning in his Williams’ cockpit during his first run out in the circuit, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri caught a snap of oversteer through turn seven early on.
‘Sergio Perez fastest in FP1’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/03/...s-in-practice/
(FP1) First Practice Results – 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
3rd March 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy
Results (Classification):
•
1. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing – 1:32.758
2. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.438
3. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.617
4. Lando Norris McLaren +1.407
5. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +1.499
6. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.540
7. Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.644
8. Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +1.817
9. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +1.931
10. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +2.159
‘Bahrain Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the first free practice ahead of this weekend’s 2023 F1 World Championship opener in Bahrain’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp1-first-...and-prix-81567
AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from first practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix
03 March 2023
Beck Hart.
Special Contributor.
Formula One - Official Site
‘AS IT HAPPENED’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...SQehCQbPt.html
2023 Bahrain GP FP1: Carlos Sainz manages to avoid the wall after high speed spin in first practice.
03 Mar 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was sent into a high speed spin in opening practice in Bahrain as he turned in at Turn 9. He was able to catch it before hitting the wall, but had to immediately pit for new tyres.
‘Avoiding the wall’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...724350624.html
Ferrari beam wing trial suffers a major wobble in practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix
03 Mar 2023 1:10 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Ferrari were once again forced to remove a new beam wing from their car, this time because of excessive movement as it wobbled from side to side on Charles Leclerc’s SF-23. Not for the first time Ferrari trialled a new beam wing, opting to do comparison tests during the opening practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix. But, as with testing, it didn’t go to plan.
Ferrari initially ran the beam wing on the final day of pre-season testing, one equipped with a mono-pylon support, but problems with the right side flap of the DRS meant they were forced to revert to their medium load wing. However, less than a week later – the opening race of the new season scheduled for the weekend after testing – and the single-pylon wing was back on the car but just Leclerc’s.
Ferrari trialled it during Friday’s opening practice with the aim of improving the stability of the SF-23. It is also expected to help with downforce. Stability, though, was questionable at best looking in from the outside with rear wing rocked from side to side.
‘Wing trial suffers a major wobble in practice’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...on-bahrain-gp/
Piastri 12th in first Grand Prix practice in Bahrain
Fri, 3 March 2023 9:23PM
Ian ChadbandAAP
The West Australian
Australian youngster Oscar Piastri has made an eventful Formula One debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix before finishing 12th quickest in his first practice session for McLaren. The 21-year-old rookie Piastri oversteered on one corner and came off the track early in the session before regaining control, making a similar error to one made by his more experienced teammate Lando Norris later in the session.
When Piastri lost control of his car on turn seven to leave the track briefly, his engineer asked over the radio, "Is the car all okay?" To which the man from Melbourne responded: "Yep, all okay, just had a snap"
‘12th quickest in his first practice session’;
https://thewest.com.au/sport/motorsp...rain-c-9933216
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‘I’d be lying if I said the car doesn’t feel good’ says Alonso after leading practice.
The Aston Martin driver set a best time of 1’30.907 during the second practice session, putting him 0.169 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 3rd March 2023, 16:533rd March 2023, 17:50
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin still have scope to improve after ending the first day of practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix with the fastest time. However the two-times world champion insisted he wasn’t focusing on the lap times ahead of the first competitive session of the new season tomorrow. “Obviously, it feels good to drive,” he said. “I will lie if I say that is not feeling good.”
“But everything is relative to what the other teams are doing. You can feel very good on one car and maybe there are three or four cars faster than you and then it doesn’t feel that good anymore. So let’s see where we are.” The team won’t have a clear picture of how competitive it is for a few more races, Alonso believes. “Obviously it’s good to see the times, that you are competitive.”
“After testing there is always a mixed feelings of where you are and still until we go into qualifying and the race and maybe the first three races on very different circuits – Bahrain, Jeddah and Australia.”
“Obviously, it feels good to drive”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/03/...ding-practice/
(FP2) Second Practice Results – 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
3rd March 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy
Results (Classification):
1. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin – 1:30.907
2. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.169
3. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.171
4. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.460
5. Nico Hulkenberg Haas +0.469
6. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +0.543
7. Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.568
8. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.636
9. Lando Norris McLaren +0.663
10. Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +0.679
‘Bahrain Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the second free practice ahead of this weekend’s 2023 F1 World Championship opener in Bahrain’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp2-second...and-prix-81577
AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix
03 March 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor.
Formula One - Official Site
‘AS IT HAPPENED;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...QjFzQKAov.html
2023 Bahrain GP FP2: Onboard for Fernando Alonso’s fastest lap
03 Mar 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Ride onboard as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso posts the fastest lap of second practice at the 2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, with a time of 1:30.907.
‘Fernando Alonso’s fastest lap’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...039880983.html
Alonso quickest in surprise-filled second Bahrain GP practice
3rd March 2023, 16:20
By Jack Cozens
The Race
Fernando Alonso beat the Red Bulls to the fastest time in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix as the hype surrounding Aston Martin’s 2023 Formula 1 car persisted.
Attempts from Alonso and Aston Martin to play down its impressive underlying pace from testing a week earlier were undermined when the two-time F1 champion split pacesetter Sergio Perez and defending champion Max Verstappen in first practice.
Alonso has now backed that up with the fastest time of the weekend in FP2, though the switch to performance running and qualifying simulations resulted in an incredibly tight lead order, with one second covering the top 13 cars and the whole field within 1.9s.
‘Attempts to play down its impressive underlying pace undermined’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alons...n-gp-practice/
Hamilton fears Mercedes worse than in F1 2022 and on "wrong track".
Lewis Hamilton thinks Mercedes could be in a worse situation than last year, as he fears the team is on the "wrong track" with its 2023 Formula 1 car.
3rd March 2023, 17:43
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com
Asked what he had found out on track, Hamilton said: "We've found out we're a long way off. We kind of knew that a little bit in the test, but it's a big gap. I'm trying everything I can out there. I thought that Ferrari were second," he said. "But I think on the long run, we're quite close to Ferrari, and it looks like the Aston was second.”
"We're kind of between third and fourth. So we're kind of either where we were last year, or if not a little bit further behind. It's difficult for everybody. And this is really not where I think anyone in the team wants to be, and certainly not where I believe everyone deserves to be, because everyone continues to work so hard and really are so courageous and thoughtful in the process.”
"We're just on the wrong track. So we've got to just continue to graft away and find a way to get ourselves on the right track. But right now, we're a long way off from the guys in front."
‘Worse situation than last year’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/h...path/10439127/
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Leclerc: Ferrari F1 "doesn't have performance for pole" in Bahrain GP.
Charles Leclerc F1 TV: "I don't think we have the performance maybe for pole."
18:24 Fri, 03 Mar 2023.
By: Matt Kew
Motorsport.com
In the later FP2 session, which best replicates qualifying conditions, Leclerc was fourth fastest as his Scuderia team-mate Carlos Sainz ran to 14th. Leclerc was 0.46s adrift of Aston Martin pacesetter Fernando Alonso and 0.3s in arrears of 2022 title rival Max Verstappen before the shift to focus on race stint simulations.
While Leclerc expected the strong Aston pace to drop off on Saturday, the Monegasque reckoned Ferrari would still not be there to fight for pole. He told F1 TV: "I don't think we have the performance maybe for pole.
"It's still early days. I maybe think that Aston is a bit quicker than they will be tomorrow. We don't know. It's just what I think." Leclerc reckoned his team had "most work to do" in tuning the SF-23 to fix its race pace but said "there's a bit of margin" to improve.
"Doesn't have performance for pole";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/l...n-gp/10439178/
Charles Leclerc rules Ferrari out of pole contention at Bahrain GP
03 Mar 2023 8:25 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Reflecting on his day at the wheel of the SF-23, Leclerc said: “Let’s say that the feeling is better than testing. “On my side testing has been very, very inconsistent in the way we run the car because we were testing loads of things. So I didn’t have much time to put the car to my liking, which I did today. And I think that went really well.”
“On the other hand, it seems that again, what we thought was confirmed, Red Bull seemed quite a bit ahead compared to everyone, Aston seems very strong too. I maybe think that Aston is a bit quicker than what they will be tomorrow. “But let’s wait and see, for now we need to focus on ourselves, try to gain a bit of performance overnight and hopefully have a great qualifying.”
“I don’t think we have the performance maybe for pole, but we can be in the mix, and whenever we have races that are a bit more difficult, we should be here and try and take every opportunity, so that’s what we’ll try to do this weekend.” Of course pole is one thing, but as Ferrari found out all too often against Red Bull in 2022, it is over a race distance where the car must perform to bring the points home.
‘Ferrari out of pole contention’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/charle...ole-contender/
Verstappen: Red Bull ‘really bad’ in F1 Bahrain GP practice
Saturday 4th March, 2023 - 12:00pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Held in the sunshine, conditions in which neither qualifying nor the race will be held, the Dutchman was unable to replicate the pace he’d enjoyed during pre-season testing a week ago. “Difficult start to the day,” he confessed.
“I mean, FP1 was really bad, just couldn’t get a balance which was a bit odd because in testing, whatever we tried, okay, some things were maybe not amazing, but not that far out. So, a few things to understand.”
“Even the start of FP2 was a bit difficult, but then I think for the final run, even though not really having a good reference and confidence up until then in the car, the last was not too bad. Also the car felt a bit more connected.”
“Difficult start to the day”;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/04...n-gp-practice/
Bahrain GP: 'Long way off and on wrong track,' admits Hamilton after more F1 woe.
Mercedes driver said he had half-expected to discover a performance deficit, but not one as alarming as revealed on Friday
07:08, 4th March 2023.
The National
A disappointed Lewis Hamilton admitted Mercedes were "a long way off" the pace and struggling to close the gap after he finished eighth in Friday's second practice at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
"I'm trying everything I can, but it is what it is and we've just go to try and work at it. We kind of knew that a little from the test, but it's a big gap," he said. "We're not strong on single lap pace or race pace. I'd say they're very similar. We're a second a lap behind Red Bull so we've got a lot of work to do."
"We're just on the wrong track so we've got to continue to graft away and find a way to get on the right track," he added. "Right now we're a long way from the guys in front. Do I believe we can close the gap? Yes, I do, but I think it's quite hard with the concept we have."
‘Half-expected to discover a performance deficit, but not one as alarming as revealed on Friday’;
https://www.thenationalnews.com/spor...r-more-f1-woe/
Alonso Victory? 5 Things To Watch For - 2023 Bahrain GP Preview
Published Mar 03, 2023 6:24 PM
Inside Line F1 Podcast (Weblog)
Fernando Alons-ooooh! Will he take the top step of the podium this Sunday in the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix?
In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, preview the first race of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Five things to watch for:
1. 2023 cars - we will finally see them!
2. End of sandbagging
3. Fernando Alonso
4. Overtaking fest.
5. Race strategy
‘Fernando Alons-ooooh!’;
https://omny.fm/shows/inside-line-f1...r-2023-bahrain
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Alonso pips Verstappen by five-thousandths of a second in final practice.
Alonso put Aston Martin on top for the second consecutive practice session, ahead of the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix third practice
Posted on 4th March 2023, 12:384th March 2023, 12:42
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
Fernando Alonso was the fastest driver in final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix, just five-thousandths of a second quicker than Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton gave Mercedes some encouragement by setting the fourth-fastest time ahead of Charles Leclerc, the fastest of the Ferraris in fifth. The top 13 cars were separated by less than nine tenths of a second.
(WHEN) …it was the turn of the two fastest from Friday, Alonso and Verstappen, to have a fast lap on soft tyres. Verstappen set a new best time with a 1’32.345 to put Red Bull on top for the first time in the hour, before Alonso retook the top spot by just five-thousandths of a second.
Perez was third-fastest again for Red Bull, exactly a tenth of a second slower than Verstappen. Hamilton ended the session fourth fastest, ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari and team mate Russell. Stroll was seventh ahead of Sainz, with Oscar Piastri ninth and Pierre Gasly rounding out the top ten for Alpine.
‘Alonso put Aston Martin on top for the second consecutive practice session’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/04/...inal-practice/
(FP3) Third Practice Results – 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
4th March 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy
Results (Classification):
1. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin -1:32.340
2. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.005
3. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.106
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.215
5. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.284
6. George Russell Mercedes +0.391
7. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +0.579
8. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.605
9. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.705
10. Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.724
‘Bahrain Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the final free practice ahead of this weekend’s 2023 F1 World Championship opener in Bahrain’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp3-third-...and-prix-81592
AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix
04 March 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor
Formula One - Official Site
‘AS IT HAPPENED’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...u6IdBZild.html
Alonso fastest again in final Bahrain GP practice
4th March 2023, 12:42
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race
Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso was quickest again in the final practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, once more outpacing the Red Bull duo.
Key moments:
> Alonso 0.005s ahead of Verstappen
> Mercedes fourth and sixth
> Piastri gets McLaren into top 10
> Williams, AlphaTauri slowest again
Informed that he was “still P1”, Alonso responded with a nonchalant “Ah, really? Great.” to his Aston team – and he stayed in that spot until the chequered flag, as the other Red Bull, that of Sergio Perez, came up a tenth short.
‘Informed that he was “still P1”, Alonso responded with a nonchalant “Ah, really? Great.”!’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alons...n-gp-practice/
Bahrain GP: Alonso pips Verstappen by 0.005s in final F1 practice
Fernando Alonso edged out Max Verstappen by 0.005s in final practice for Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix, setting up a mouth-watering qualifying battle.
4th March 2023.12:47
By: Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
The sweltering afternoon conditions in Sakhir were not particularly inviting for fast times, with early laps over two seconds slower than during Friday night's FP2. After some unrepresentative efforts, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc went top with a 1m33.574s on softs, a time which was gradually improved upon by first Lewis Hamilton and then Alonso.
The Spaniard, who had caused a stir by topping FP2, led at the halfway mark with a 1m33.121s, ahead of Hamilton, Carlos Sainz and Leclerc. Verstappen was fifth at that stage, but ominously less than six tenths behind Alonso on the slower hard compound, even as he complained of having "no grip".
The pace picked up after the typical mid-session pause, with Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu briefly appearing in second. It was the prelude to a flurry of faster times, led by Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. While recovering from a broken right wrist, the Canadian went top with a 1m32.010s with 15 minutes to go, establishing an Aston 1-2.
‘Alonso pips Verstappen’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/b...tice/10439471/
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Verstappen leads Red Bull front row lock-out after Leclerc sits out last run.
World champion Max Verstappen has secured pole position ahead of Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez for the opening round of the Formula 1 season in Bahrain.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying
Posted on 4th March 2023, 16:21
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
Verstappen improved on his own provisional pole time on his final attempt of the session to beat Perez to pole by a tenth of a second. The Red Bulls were the only cars to breach the 1’30 barrier, with the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr occupying the second row. Fernando Alonso will start fifth for Aston Martin.
Red Bull headed back out in the final minutes, as Alonso and the Mercedes came back in to the pits, their qualifying over. Surprisingly, Leclerc was not sent back out by Ferrari, leaving the battle for pole position as a shootout between the Red Bulls and Sainz.
Verstappen improved to a 1’29.708, lowering his own provisional pole time, but while Perez did break into the 1’29s, it was not enough to deny his team mate the first pole of the season. Sainz could only manage fourth, jumping ahead of Alonso but remaining behind team mate Leclerc. The two Mercedes finished the session sixth and seventh, with Stroll in eighth after improving on his first run in the final moments. Ocon secured ninth on the grid for Alpine, while Hulkenberg will start tenth on his return to the F1 grid.
‘Verstappen leads Red Bull front row lock-out’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/04/...-out-last-run/
Qualifying Results – 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
4th March 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy
Q3
1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing -1:29.708
2. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.138
3. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.292
4. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.446
5. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.628
6. George Russell Mercedes +0.632
7. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.676
8. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.128
9. Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.276
10. Nico Hulkenberg Haas NC
‘Bahrain Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from qualifying ahead of the opening race of the 2023 F1 World Championship in Bahrain’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/qualifying...and-prix-81596
LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix
04 March 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor.
Formula One - Official Site
‘As it happened’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...8ooYNAjzh.html
Verstappen seizes pole in Bahrain GP qualifying
Sunday 5th March, 2023 - 3:11am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Max Verstappen has claimed pole position in a competitive qualifying session for tomorrow’s F1 Bahrain Grand Prix. Verstappen had been the favourite heading into the session following a strong pre-season, though faced competition from Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin in the lead into Qualifying 3.
When it came to the crunch, however, the Dutchman delivered on his potential to record the 21st pole position of his career. Sergio Perez will start second with Charles Leclerc third, one spot ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz. Fernando Alonso is the lead Aston Martin in fifth, one spot ahead of George Russell.
‘Verstappen seizes pole’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/05...gp-qualifying/
Red Bull sweeps Bahrain GP front row ahead of Ferraris
Mar 4 2023
By Josh Suttill
The Race
Max Verstappen will start Formula 1’s 2023 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position as Fernando Alonso’s practice-topping pace translated to fifth place on the grid.
Expectations were high for Alonso after he topped FP2 and FP3 in his Aston Martin and that pace was something he appeared to substantiate in Q1 but he was clearly adrift of the pole fight by the time Q3 rolled around and he ended up fifth fastest.
Verstappen topped qualifying on a 1m29.708s, with his team-mate Sergio Perez completing an all-Red Bull front row in second place, 0.138s slower than Verstappen. The Ferrari drivers will share the second row with Charles Leclerc in third, some 0.292s shy of pole.
‘All-Red Bull front row’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/red-b...d-of-ferraris/
Qualifying: Verstappen claims first pole of 2023 in Bahrain
04/03/2023 at 16:21
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Max Verstappen successfully claimed pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix, with Sergio Perez making it an all-Red Bull front row for tomorrow's race.
Charles Leclerc opted not to make a second run in Q3 meaning that he settled for third place, putting him alongside Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz on the grid for the start of tomorrow's race.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso wasn't quite able to deliver on his practice promise but was still a strong fifth putting him ahead of Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
‘Verstappen claims first pole’;
https://f1i.com/news/467748-qualifyi...n-bahrain.html
Qualy: Max Verstappen starts his title defence with pole position, issues for Charles Leclerc
04 Mar 2023 4:16 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Max Verstappen will start his title defence from pole position, the Red Bull driver leading a Red Bull lock-out of the front row at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Leclerc’s session ended with yet more drama, the driver jumping out of his car when it looked as if his mechanics were about to take the tyre blankets off. Ferrari said to be saving tyres for Sunday’s race.
That left it to Verstappen to secure pole, the reigning World Champion upping his pace to a 1:29.708 with Perez making it a Red Bull 1-2 ahead of Leclerc and Sainz. Alonso dropped to fifth ahead of Russell, Hamilton, Stroll, Ocon and Hulkenberg.
‘Ferrari said to be saving tyres for Sunday’s race’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/bahrai...ifying-report/
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Another blunder? Charles Leclerc admits to bizarre Ferrari strategy.
Charles Leclerc has revealed that Ferrari’s bizarre Q3 strategy at the Bahrain Grand Prix was done purposefully and was not due to a technical issue, with the Monegasque having weirdly jumped out of his car with three minutes of qualifying remaining.
by Nick Golding
4 March 2023
Formula1News
With Leclerc having been in second after the initial Q3 runs, it was expected that the 25-year-old would complete a second run on his spare set of fresh Soft tyres; however, he ultimately stayed in the garage following his sole run.
As a result, he dropped to third behind Sergio Pérez who improved on his final lap, with Leclerc having opted to save a set of fresh Soft tyres for the race on Sunday. Leclerc explained the logic behind saving a set of Soft tyres for the race, with him believing that starting in third on new Soft tyres puts him in a “better place”.
‘Another blunder?’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/another-b...rari-strategy/
VASSEUR: ‘LECLERC? THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS NOT WON WITH POLES’
Ferrari surprised fans with a bold strategy for Charles Leclerc to save a set of tyres for the start of the Bahrain GP tomorrow
March 4, 2023
Dalila Zanardo
FormulaNerds
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur admitted the decision to not have driver Charles Leclerc participate in the last run of Q3 was planned to save a set of soft tyres for the race, as the team expects to struggle with degradation during the Bahrain GP. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc surprised fans by only making a first attempt at the pole position during qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The choice, considered bold by many, will result in the Monegasque starting third behind both Red Bulls but with one set of new soft tyres. The decision was a strategic choice as Maranello expects to struggle with tyre degradation tomorrow, hence leading to this unusual end of Q3.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur: “We were first in Q1 and Q2, then with Charles, we decided to keep a set of softs for the race. If he could have fought for pole? Difficult to know, without a doubt the track is always improving. Max managed to do it, maybe we could’ve expected the same improvement from Charles and be in the fight. But it was important to focus on the race and not get carried away by emotions.”
‘CHAMPIONSHIP IS NOT WON WITH POLES’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/va.../?nowprocket=1
Leclerc: I could’ve got Bahrain GP pole position
Charles Leclerc qualified third for Ferrari behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
By Adam Dickinson
March 4, 2023
Total Motorsport
Charles Leclerc believes he could’ve beaten Max Verstappen to pole position for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix if he’d been allowed a second run in qualifying. Leclerc was second and just one tenth behind Verstappen with a minute to go in qualifying, but the Ferrari driver climbed out of the car at that stage while both Red Bulls went for a final lap that put Verstappen further ahead and allowed Sergio Perez to leapfrog Leclerc.
Ferrari opted to save a set of tyres for raceday instead, and left the Tifosi wondering what if rather than celebrating a season-opening pole as in 2022. “I mean, I hate saying yes,” Leclerc told the media when asked if he could’ve beaten Verstappen. “It’s difficult to say, but for sure, seeing the margin on the first set I knew there was a bit of time to find so it will have been close.
“Also Aston Martin seems to be really, really quick in the race which is why we made that choice in Q3 I think, which I’m sure is the right choice. But let’s see tomorrow.”
‘Could’ve got Bahrain GP pole position’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...pole-position/
Ferrari’s strategy gamble and Alonso in podium hunt – What To Watch For in the Bahrain GP
04 March 2023
Special Contributor
Chris Medland
Formula One - Official Site
We’ve pick out some key areas to keep an eye on when the lights go out at the Bahrain International Circuit…
1. Can Ferrari take the fight to Red Bull? Red Bull left pre-season testing as the clear favourites for 2023, and a front-row lock-out would back up that prediction. 2. Alonso chasing a podium but Mercedes a threat. “Now we are saying we start P5 and maybe we fight with the Ferraris for the podium,” Alonso said. “This is just incredible.”
3. Hulkenberg’s comeback potential. Hulkenberg was particularly impressive with the way he progressed through Q2 in what is a remarkably close midfield, and in the end an all-out final qualifying lap saw him exceed track limits, but the time would have left him 10th on the grid regardless. 4. The ‘midfield’ picture. Another driver to keep an eye on when it comes to performance over a race distance is Lance Stroll, who is somehow managing to drive competitively despite breaking his wrist two weeks ago and having surgery to insert screws.
‘What To Watch For’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...LrgcPOZkI.html
Alonso “very impressive from the moment he got in the car” – Fallows
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 5th March 2023, 7:154th March 2023, 21:42
Written by Will Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Aston Martin technical director Dan Fallows says he and the rest of his team are “very, very pleased” with the impact Fernando Alonso has had since joining them this season. Alonso went quickest in two of the three practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix before qualifying fifth for today’s race.
Fallows, expressed before qualifying how pleased the technical team at Silverstone had been by Alonso’s impact since joining at the start of the year. “He’s clearly very impressive chap,” Fallows said. “He’s incredibly motivated, incredibly competitive and he’s brought a huge amount of energy to the team.”
“I think he has been very impressive from the moment he got in the car last year. His feedback is where you’d expect it to be for somebody with his level of experience. But he has the ability to diagnose issues with the car in a way that, as an engineering team, we’re very, very pleased with.” Alonso and Aston Martin drew the attention of rival teams and drivers with an impressive pre-season testing period in which Alonso regularly featured in the top five in the timings.
“Very impressive from the moment he got in the car”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/05/...e-car-fallows/
‘It’s not realistic’: Mercedes’ two-year mistake now clear as boss admits they can’t win the title
March 5th, 2023 3:32 pm
Max Laughton
Fox Sports (Australia)
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff made the frank admission on Sunday (AEDT) his team could not return to the top of Formula 1 without major changes to its car concept. Their bold design philosophy was found to be problematic, with the car having to run so low to work as intended that the porpoising made it undriveable.
That meant the car had to be raised so high it simply wasn’t as fast as the top teams, Red Bull and Ferrari. Changes across the 2022 season allowed Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to contend for podiums, and even a race win for the latter in Brazil, and the team was hopeful of making continued progress into 2023.
But the W14 has not taken the expected leap forwards, with Russell and Hamilton qualifying sixth and seventh for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, behind Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso plus the two Red Bulls and Ferraris. Speaking after qualifying Wolff conceded this concept, even with expected growth across 2023, is not going to bring the team back into championship contention.
‘Two-year mistake, can’t win the title’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...f91e43c2fb2bd3
Wolff: Mercedes must change car concept to return to top in F1
18:02 Sat, 04 Mar 2023.
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com
With George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualifying sixth and seventh, Wolff said the reality of his team’s lack of performance had hit home. With the squad having pushed on with the same car concept as last year, while many rivals had gone down the Red Bull downwash solution, Wolff said it was time to admit his outfit had got it wrong.
“I don't think this package is going to be competitive eventually. We gave it our best shot all over the winter, and now we just need to all regroup and sit down with the engineers, who are totally not dogmatic about anything. There are no holy cows and we need to decide what is the development direction that we want to pursue, in order to be competitive to win races.”
“We are racers, and we are racing, and we will never give up fighting every single session to be on top,” he said. “If you look at the pecking order, today, you say, well, it's not realistic. But I'm looking at what can we find next week? What can we add to the car? What is the change of direction that we can implement? And how quickly is that, so that maybe we can turn the ship around this year? It's just first qualifying of '23. That's why I don't want to discount anything for this year, while being totally realistic that it [the car] needs a lot to change a lot.”
‘Change car concept to return to top in F1’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...n-f1/10439712/
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‘Their car’s half ours and they found 2s’ – Mercedes aim for same progress as Aston.
Mercedes admit the leap forward made by their engine customers Aston Martin shows the progress they should be making.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 5th March 2023, 9:155th March 2023, 8:48
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Aston Martin delivered on its pre-season promise in qualifying yesterday as Fernando Alonso took fifth place on the grid with a lap which was almost two-and-a-half seconds faster than the team’s best effort at the same circuit 12 months ago.
Alonso narrowly beat the two Mercedes drivers to fifth place on the grid, pipping George Russell by four thousandths of a second. Russell said that showed what was possible for his team.
“You’ve got to take Aston Martin’s case,” he said after qualifying. “I think they probably had a good basis last year and they added a load of performance over the winter. And if it’s possible, if anybody can do it, we can do it. So I think they’re a good example of what is possible.”
‘Delivered on its pre-season promise’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/05/...ress-as-aston/
Alonso 'laughing' at Bahrain GP podium chance on 'unreal' weekend
05 March 2023
Inside Racing
Fernando Alonso was left "laughing" at the possibility of a podium on an "unreal" weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix. "It was amazing. The whole weekend has been unreal for us. It was like too good to be true in every session and every performance of the car.”
"And then in qualifying, our expectation was to be around half a second from Red Bull, so it was quite right." On race day, Alonso's potential could be even higher as questions over Ferrari's tyre wear make a podium a realistic prospect.
"Let's see, yes," the double world champion said. "I'm laughing because going for a podium in race one... it feels too good to be true. But for sure, what we saw so far on our car, and also historically Aston Martin has a very good tyre management. So yeah, if we have an opportunity for sure, we will take it."
"I'm laughing because going for a podium in race one”;
https://www.insideracing.com/formula...unreal-weekend
Alonso: Eight months ago Aston Martin F1 choice "was just a bet"
5th March 2023, 12:19
By: Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
Alonso shocked F1's silly season last summer when he slid into the Aston seat left vacant by the retiring Sebastian Vettel, leaving Alpine scrambling to find a replacement as it also saw junior driver Oscar Piastri move to McLaren. The 41-year-old has a history of making bold team decisions, often ending up at the wrong team at the wrong time, ever since claiming two world titles for Renault in 2004 and 2005.
"I don't know even what to say, because eight months ago the project was just a bet," he said. "But now to be race one with a completely new car - which I think we need still to unlock a lot of potential of - to be in the top five fighting with Ferrari, Mercedes, it seems a little bit unreal, but we take it for sure."
"There is a lot more to come in terms of development of this project, so I'm optimistic for that. This project has the motivation to always go for more, so there are good things coming for Aston Martin."
"Was just a bet";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...-bet/10439993/
Nico Rosberg claims Aston Martin poaching key Red Bull designer key to their success
Aston Martin signed former Red Bull designer Dan Fallows at the start of 2022.
5 March 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg praised the “phenomenal job” being done by Aston Martin, with the Silverstone-based team having asserted themselves as a podium contender at this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Given that they claimed seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, Aston Martin’s improvement is exceptional, with Rosberg believing it’s been made possible thanks to some instrumental signings. “It’s looking to be the case that Aston have produced a really good car,” said Rosberg on Sky Sports F1.
“Phenomenal job by them! The factory there has always produced within the means that they had. They’ve always done a great, great job very, very often. It’s been a couple of key hires that they’ve done in the last year – from Red Bull, for example, they brought in the number two aerodynamicist Dan Fallows, and he knows all about the concept of the Red Bull car for this particular set of regulations.”
“Phenomenal job”;
https://formula1news.co.uk/nico-rosb...their-success/
Helmut Marko makes concerning admission about Aston Martin
Red Bull locked out the front row during qualifying, with Max Verstappen taking pole position ahead of Sergio Perez.
5 March 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News
Heading into qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Red Bull would have been worried about Ferrari, Aston Martin and maybe even Mercedes, with no one quite knowing the true pace of every team following testing and practice.
Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that the Scuderia are not his team’s main worry ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Austrian reportedly told Sky Germany that Red Bull actually see Aston Martin as their main rival for the race, with Ferrari’s tyre degradation being too high for them to mount a serious challenge during the race.
Fernando Alonso’s recent claims would back Marko’s prediction up, with the Spaniard telling the media after pre-season testing that Aston Martin outperformed Ferrari after running the exact same long-run test as the Scuderia.
‘Aston Martin as their main rival’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/helmut-ma...-aston-martin/
“I see why Lewis Hamilton is asking questions”, says Ted Kravitz after Mercedes outpaced by Aston Martin in F1 Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying
5 Mar 2023
James Dielhenn
Mercedes lagging behind Aston Martin, who use the same power unit, is why Lewis Hamilton was critical of his team’s concept, says Sky’s Ted Kravitz.
“They were third and fourth in Q2 but ended up behind Alonso, with the same power unit,” Kravitz said on Sky. “This is the key, this is the key! Lewis said after practice: ‘This is the most we can achieve with our concept and we can’t have a Plan B under the cost cap because we can’t afford it’.”
“When you look at Mercedes’ power unit running a different concept of car at Aston Martin? And Aston Martin are ahead? I can see, you can probably see, why Lewis is asking questions.”
“This is the key, this is the key!”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102159...king-questions
‘Lewis Hamilton asking questions after Mercedes lost to the Mercedes-powered Aston Martin’
05 Mar 2023 10:45 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
That the Aston Martin in the hands of Fernando Alonso had better pace than the Mercedes is, as Ted Kravitz put it, “the key” to suggest Lewis Hamilton’s comments about the W14’s concept could be spot on.
Even Toto Wolff was questioning Mercedes’ design philosophy after George Russell and Hamilton both lost out to the Aston Martin of Alonso in Saturday night’s qualifying.
Kravitz reckons losing to Aston Martin in qualifying, a car powered by Mercedes’ own power unit, could to be the “key” to triggering Mercedes into making changes.
‘Questioning Mercedes’ design philosophy’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...-aston-martin/
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Verstappen leads dominant Red Bull one-two as Alonso races to third.
Max Verstappen started the 2023 season in dominant fashion for Red Bull, leading home team mate Sergio Perez as Fernando Alonso took a podium for Aston Martin in third.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix summary
Posted on 5th March 2023, 16:525th March 2023, 16:54
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
The reigning world champions never looked under pressure during the race, with both Red Bull drivers holding almost half a minute of advantage over the rest of the field. The 20 cars lined up on the grid for the first time for Formula 1’s longest-ever season, with the two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez leading the field from the front row. When the five lights vanished to begin the 2023 season, Verstappen led away but Charles Leclerc beat Perez on the run to turn one, moving into second place with Carlos Sainz Jnr remaining fourth. Alonso dropped from fifth to seventh behind the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell after he was hit by team mate Lance Stroll from behind at turn four.
On lap 40, Leclerc suddenly lost power in his Ferrari heading up the hill of turn 11, pulling off to the side of the road and into retirement. That brought out the Virtual Safety Car for a lap, while the Ferrari was pushed behind the barriers.
When the race resumed, Alonso began to catch Sainz’s Ferrari, which now occupied third place. After pressuring his rival heavily, Alonso out-dragged Sainz out of turn 10 to move into the final podium position in third. With Alonso through, Sainz was then caught by Hamilton’s Mercedes. However, Hamilton was unable to pressure the sole remaining Ferrari, and Sainz managed to pull safely clear again.
‘Dominant Red Bull one-two’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/05/...aces-to-third/
Race Results – 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
5th March 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy
Results (Classification):
1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing – 57 laps
2. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +11.987
3. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +38.637
4. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +48.052
5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +50.977
6. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +54.502
7. George Russell Mercedes +55.873
8. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +72.647
9. Pierre Gasly Alpine +73.753
10. Alex Albon Williams Racing +89.774
‘Bahrain Grand Prix – Here are the complete race results from today’s 2023 F1 World Championship opening race from Bahrain’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/race-resul...and-prix-81615
LIVE COVERAGE: All the action from the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
05 March 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor.
Formula One - Official Site
‘As It Happened’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...QyksxOygK.html
Race: Max Verstappen untouchable but the Bahrain GP was the Fernando Alonso show
05 Mar 2023 4:40 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Max Verstappen and Red Bull gave their rivals a masterclass, the Dutchman untouchable as he began his title defence with a victory at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The Aston Martin driver was the star of Sunday night’s race as he raced, overtook and beat Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to grab his first podium for his new team.
Alonso caught Hamilton and challenged the Mercedes driver. He briefly got ahead but Alonso oversteered and slid the back end of his AMR23 with Hamilton back again. Alonso tried again, catching and passing Hamilton down into Turn 10 to run P5. This time Hamilton wasn’t able to fight back. “Yes, let’s go!”
While the Red Bulls ran 1-2 with Verstappen 10s up on Perez, Sainz came under attack from Alonso. With the Ferrari driver worried about his tyres not going the distance, Alonso tried the switchback and almost whacked the Ferrari. He tried again, up to P3 on his Aston Martin debut. Alonso pulled away from his compatriot while Hamilton closed up on the back of the Ferrari.
‘Bahrain GP was the Fernando Alonso show’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/bahrai...3-race-report/
Alonso hails “hero” team mate Stroll despite first-lap clash after podium return
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 5th March 2023, 17:10
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Fernando Alonso finished on the podium in his first race for Aston Martin then lavished praise on his team mate Lance Stroll – despite the pair colliding on the first lap of the race. Aston Martin delivered on their pre-season promise as Alonso was the first car home behind the dominant Red Bulls. Stroll took sixth on his return to the cockpit after undergoing surgery on his wrist following a bike crash two weeks ago.
The race nearly went awry for the team on the first lap when Stroll hit Alonso at turn four while trying to pass George Russell. The pair were able to continue, but Alonso was concerned about the collision and asked whether it had been investigated. After the race it emerged Alonso had been unaware who hit him. His race engineer Chris Cronin explained the first-lap collision. “Lance was trying to get past George and as you switched back to try and get Hamilton, Lance just couldn’t quite get stopped in time,” he said. “There was no damage to either car, so all okay.”
“Okay,” Alonso replied. “I thought it was George!” “I’m so proud of you,” Alonso told the team after scoring his first podium finish since the 2021 Qatar Grand prix. This is amazing. By the way, Lance is my hero,” he added. “Amazing performance from him.”
‘This is amazing’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/05/...podium-return/
'No power, no power!' Ferrari's Charles Leclerc forced to retire from F1 Bahrain GP
5 Mar 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Charles Leclerc was been forced to retire from the F1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix with a suspected power unit issue. The Monegasque reported he had "no power" as he ground to a halt after running in third place behind the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
A Ferrari spokesperson said "we seem to have lost the engine on Charles' car". It marks a huge setback to Leclerc after Ferrari had already been forced to take on a new energy store before the first race of the season.
Leclerc has already used up 50 percent of his energy store allocation for the year and could be set for further engine headaches down the line, given his failure in Bahrain.
'No power, no power!';
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102168...-gp-retirement
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‘A second off’ – Leclerc despondent at poor Ferrari pace and DNF.
Charles Leclerc said it was impossible to find any positives from Ferrari’s Bahrain Grand Prix after he retired from the 2023 Formula 1 season opener with an engine problem, having been – in his assessment – a second off Red Bull’s pace.
5th March 2023, 17:12
By Matt Beer, Scott Mitchell-Malm and Edd Straw
The Race
Ferrari carried quiet optimism into winter testing but was more cautious about its prospects ahead of the Bahrain GP weekend. Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz then qualified behind the Red Bulls on row two, and though Leclerc took second from Sergio Perez at the start, he was re-passed in the second stint and then fell away before having to retire from third.
Ferrari had put a huge emphasis on winter reliability work after problems in that area stymied its 2022 title bid. Asked by The Race how worrying it therefore was to have more reliability blows instantly, Leclerc replied: “I cannot say it feels good. Obviously there was quite a lot of work on that. We need to keep working because first race and first reliability problem, not good.”
And in response to another question from The Race about whether there had been any reliability concerns emerging from Ferrari’s factory and dyno work, he replied: “Not from what I know.” Ferrari’s poor pace is as concerning to Leclerc as the reliability drama.
‘A second off’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/not-g...p-double-blow/
Leclerc calls on Ferrari to ‘understand what went wrong’ after painful Bahrain GP retirement
05 March 2023
Formula One - Official Site
Charles Leclerc cut a deflated figure in the immediate aftermath of the Bahrain Grand Prix as his 2023 season began with retirement and a non-score due to technical problems at Ferrari. Leclerc’s race got off to a positive start when he jumped from third to second – between Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez – by making good use of the fresh soft tyres he saved in qualifying.
Reflecting on his race, and what was possible before retiring, Leclerc said: “We definitely had the car to fight for the podium. I mean, honestly, the podium was there. “We had a good gap behind, I was managing the pace, everything felt good, so it is a shame. Now I just hope we can look into it, understand what went wrong and don’t have this problem anymore…”
Asked if there were any positives to take from the weekend, Leclerc pointed to his and Ferrari’s decision not to complete a second run in qualifying – and bank an extra set of soft tyres – before offering a frank assessment. I mean, the first stint, the choice that we have made was the right one in qualifying yesterday. Apart from that, not much,” he summed up.
‘Understand what went wrong’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Bh1CDeoFK.html
Charles Leclerc out of Bahrain GP and groans over radio as Ferrari engine dies
Leclerc was on for good points and a podium finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix, but with just 17 laps to go the Ferrari star was forced to pull over as his engine died
16:14, 5 Mar 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
Charles Leclerc was clearly gutted as his engine failed while he was pushing for a podium in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Leclerc was running in third with just 17 laps to go in the first race of the season. The two Red Bulls were a long way ahead and probably would not be caught, but a place on the podium and a strong haul of points was on offer for the Monegasque.
But it was not to be for the Ferrari man. Suddenly, he was forced to pull over at the side of the track as he suffered mechanical problems. Replays appeared to show that his engine died as he attempted to go around a corner. The disappointment in his voice was obvious as he spoke over the radio as he parked his car at the side of the track. "Oh no, come on," Leclerc moaned before he asked: "What happened? No power!"
‘Groans over radio’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...hrain-29378651
Dejected Leclerc: I had no warning of 'complete shutdown'
05 March 6:14PM
Author Luke Murphy
RacingNews365
Charles Leclerc cut a disappointed figure in Formula 1 paddock after a late retirement from third place at the Bahrain GP. Charles Leclerc struggled to hide his disappointment at retiring from the first race of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
When asked if he had any warning about the issue, Leclerc responded: "No, I didn't. It just completely [shut down]. I cannot say that it feels good. Obviously, there was quite a lot of work done on that [over winter], but we need to keep working because first race and first reliability problems, so... not good."
Leclerc commented that Ferrari had feared after testing that Red Bull had the quicker car. "Unfortunately, after the the test, I think we were hoping that we were wrong in predicting things, but I think we were exactly right," added Leclerc. "We are very far from them in the race pace, and that was unfortunately expected."
‘No warning of complete shutdown’;
https://racingnews365.com/dejected-l...plete-shutdown
Leclerc concedes Red Bull 'on a different planet'
Sunday 5 March 2023 17:46 - Updated: 17:47
Sam Hall
GPFans
Charles Leclerc has conceded Red Bull are on a "different planet" after suffering late heartbreak with an engine failure at the Bahrain Grand Prix. "We are a step back and Red Bull is really on another planet, especially in the race," Leclerc told Canal+. Third was the best position we could have done. It's a shame."
Ferrari confirmed quickly after Leclerc's retirement that a suspected engine problem was to blame, shifting focus from the control electronics and energy store that the team had changed ahead of the race.
Refusing to speculate on his issue, Leclerc said: "I don't know what the problem is right now. I don't want to comment at this point. But we didn't finish the race and we'll have to look at that. There was just no power left. It's a shame because it's really on these weekends that we have to maximise the points with the potential of our car."
'On a different planet';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...nother-planet/
Charles Leclerc reveals worrying Ferrari pace deficit after DNF heartbreak
05 Mar 2023 5:07 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Leclerc, speaking to media in Bahrain after his DNF, confirmed that he had “zero” warning of the impending failure, with the SF-23 shutting down “completely”. “I couldn’t do anything after that,” he added. “We need to keep working because obviously first race and first reliability problems, so not good.”
“Red Bull seems to have found something really big during the race pace. In terms of qualy pace, they are actually pretty similar to us or at least we managed to extract the lap time yesterday, but then we come to the race and we are a second every lap off the pace, which is huge.”
“Bahrain is also a very specific track, so I hope that the picture can change a little bit from the next race, but we cannot rely on that, we need to work and find something. So, we really need to work into that, plus the reliability.”
‘DNF heartbreak’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/charle...tires-bahrain/
