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Alonso praises Aston Martin for ‘second-best car’ after F1 Bahrain Grand Prix podium.
Fernando Alonso has praised Aston Martin for producing the “second-best car” after securing an “unreal” Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix podium.
March 5, 2023
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds
The 41-year-old produced a great performance to bring his Aston Martin AMR23 home in third, securing himself on the final step of the podium at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix. However, the start of the race would be a bit worrying for the Spaniard. He would make contact with teammate Lance Stroll at Turn Three. Luckily, both drivers did not suffer any damage to their AMR23’s.
After the early scare, Alonso would manage his tyre as he would look to take the battle to both Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Before the first round of pitstops, Alonso managed to get past Russell, while closing into Hamilton. After the round of pitstops, the 41-year-old was left with the task of passing former McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton.
The two-time world champion would execute a perfectly-timed move down into Turn 10 on the seven-time world champion for fourth place. However, the Spaniard was not done there. He would then have a battle with fellow countryman Carlos Sainz – the pair almost came together during the encounter. After a stern defence from Sainz, Alonso was able to get past the Ferrari driver with DRS into Turn 11, managing to also pull away to secure the podium finish.
‘Second-best car’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/al.../?nowprocket=1
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Alonso's ruthless podium charge gets your Bahrain vote
05 March 2023
Formula One - Official Site
He may have been hit by his team mate on the opening lap, but that didn't stop the oldest man on the grid putting in a sparkling performance in Sakhir. Winning thrilling duels with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso fought back in typically entertaining style to clinch a podium on his Aston Martin debut. Here’s how the voting broke down…
Fernando Alonso - 53.3%
Pierre Gasly - 6.5%
Max Verstappen - 6.3%
Lewis Hamilton - 5.5%
Charles Leclerc - 4.4%
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...eM5nfp5sQ.html
Alonso gushes over Aston Martin after 'unreal' podium
Sunday 5 March 2023 17:00
Ewan Gale
Fernando Alonso has praised Aston Martin for its winter development after taking a stunning podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Spaniard finished third at the season opener to underline the confidence portrayed by the Silverstone-based outfit across the pre-season test at the same venue.
‘Alonso gushes over Aston Martin’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...martin-podium/
'Gladiator' Alonso rolls back the years with Bahrain overtaking brilliance
Sunday 5 March 2023 18:48
Stuart Hodge
GPFans
Fernando Alonso delivered a masterful display in the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, showing off the very best of his overtaking skills on his way to a podium finish. For a while, Alonso was having to showcase his overtaking just to get back up to fifth, passing George Russell first on lap 13, through turns four, five and six, then he became involved in a breathtaking battle with Lewis Hamilton as the veterans locked horns.
Alonso pushed hard made a move on Hamilton, again for P5, on turn four, on lap 37 before Hamilton passed him back on the run out of the corner. A couple of laps later though, the Aston Martin driver got his revenge with a magnificent move on turn 10 as he made an audacious pass down the inside.
The Asturian then profited for Charles Leclerc's power failure to move up to fourth, and dished more misery for Ferrari when he passed compatriot Carlo Sainz on lap 45 after a lock-up by the younger man on turn 10, holding on from there to cement a debut podium for his new team.
'Gladiator';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...hrain-gp-2023/
Impressive Alonso has brought 'huge energy' to Aston
05/03/2023 at 14:06
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Aston Martin technical director Dan Fallows has been impressed by the level of motivation and drive displayed by Fernando Alonso, and by the "huge energy" the Spaniard has brought to the team. Alonso's presence at Aston has inevitably led to comparisons with his predecessor, Sebastian Vettel. But Fallows underscored one key difference between the two F1 greats.
"They are different people, for certain, for sure," said the British engineer (Dan Fallows). "But I think Fernando has still got a huge amount of energy, he is still very, very keen to go racing. "He keeps saying that he'll just carry on as long as he can possibly go. And that's very infectious.”
"It's been great for the team for him to come around and say hello to people. We have various Spanish members of the team as well who are incredibly excited that he's arrived. So yeah, it's been great having [him] on board so far."
'Huge energy';
https://f1i.com/news/467859-impressi...-to-aston.html
Ted Kravitz says Lewis Hamilton is looking at Fernando Alonso as Mercedes doubts creep in
Lewis Hamilton was the seventh fastest driver in Q3 on Saturday, putting him behind his teammate George Russell.
5 March 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News
After going winless in 2022, Lewis Hamilton would have hoped to have been back with a bang this year, challenging for podiums and race wins from the very start of the season. Mercedes struggled with their W13 design last season, which led to a major porpoising issue and general lack of performance.
Heading into the 2023 season, the design of the W14 does appear to have solved the violent bouncing issue but the lack of performance still remains compares to the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull. Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz has explained that it is Aston Martin’s performance that will be annoying the 38-year-old, as Fernando Alonso’s team are an engine customer of Mercedes.
“When you look at Mercedes’ power unit tunning 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.”
‘Mercedes doubts creep in’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/ted-kravi...ubts-creep-in/
‘I don’t know what he’s taking!’ – Horner praises Alonso
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has praised Fernando Alonso for his early season form, joking that he doesn’t know “what he’s taking”. Alonso ended the second practice session from Bahrain on top of the timesheets, after splitting both Red Bull cars in the first session.
“Their car looks great. And, you know, they had some really impressive race runs last week [in testing]. Fernando looks, you know, I don’t know what he’s taking but he’s looking great on it. He looks in looks on fire, so I think they could be a real surprise this year.”
“[Aston Martin are a] bit of a dark horse so yeah, look, it just shows that it is possible to take a jump from the mid-field to potentially further up.”
‘He’s looking great on it’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...raises-alonso/
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Green Bull or not, Aston Martin are the full package and rivals need to take note.
Fernando Alonso romped past both the Mercedes and Ferrari cars to claim a podium finish in his first start for Aston Martin.
6 March 2023 • 12:24pm
GARY ANDERSON
FORMER JORDAN AND JAGUAR F1 TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
The Telegraph
Fernando Alonso’s podium for Aston Martin in Bahrain showed that they are well and truly in the fight to be the best team behind Red Bull. Red Bull’s one-two was a crushing way to start the season but it was Aston Martin’s progress that was the most eye-catching result in the desert. How has this happened? Firstly, they have recruited shrewdly under Lawrence Stroll’s ownership. There is no doubt that technical director Dan Fallows – who arrived from Red Bull last year – has been a crucial part of that.
Fallows worked as an aerodynamicist for many years at Milton Keynes under Adrian Newey and will have learned a lot in his time there. Last year they changed direction on their visual concept mid-way through the year after it became clear that their original car was not the best response to the sweeping regulation changes.
Their B-car was a Red Bull-driven development, and delivered results: in the first half of the season they scored 18 points, but doubled that in the second half with 37 further points. Going into 2023 they are the one team that has not been shy about putting a car on the grid that is a derivative of the quickest car out there: Red Bull.
‘The full package’;
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-...eed-take-note/
Horner “flattered” by similarity between Aston Martin and Red Bull designs
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 6th March 2023, 12:246th March 2023, 13:06
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said it was “good to see the old car going so well” after Aston Martin emerged as the closest rival to his team in the season-opening race. Aston Martin’s new AMR23 also resembles Red Bull’s car. The team has made a larger step forward than any of its rivals over the last 12 months, cutting almost two-and-a-half seconds off its lap time in Bahrain.
Asked yesterday whether Aston Martin’s leap forward made him regret the loss of Fallows, Horner said: “No, because I think we have a wonderful team and everything has to evolve. Nothing stands still. I think that it’s flattering to see the resemblance of that car to ours,” he added. “So it was great to see the three of them on the podium.”
Aston Martin’s progress “demonstrates to all the teams that it’s possible,” said Horner. “They’ve obviously done a good job over the winter. They say imitation is the biggest form of flattery and it’s good to see the old car going so well.”
“Flattered”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/06/...-bull-designs/
TOTO WOLFF ON THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX: ‘ONE OF THE WORST DAYS IN RACING’
March 6, 2023
Rhiannon Temporal
The 2023 Formula One season marks the second year of Mercedes' no side-pods concept. Following the winter break, it appears that the team hasn’t made the jump they were hoping for as the Silver Arrows are now the fourth-best team on the grid. Is it finally time for a change?
In the lead-up to the race, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff spoke to the press and seemed to indicate that Mercedes may change their car as they switch focus. A sentiment that Wolff seemed to double down on following the race. Wolff calls the Bahrain Grand Prix “one of the worst days in racing”
Following the conclusion of the season opener, Wolff was asked by Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz to sum up their evening. The team principal responded: “Well, one of the worst days in racing, really not good at all. Just lacking pace front, right and centre.” He went on to compare Red Bull’s day to “our best years where, you know, we just pulled a second on everyone else,” calling them “the benchmark.” Wolff also went on to comment on Aston Martin, saying, “the Aston Martin is very fast. They deserve that.”
“One of the worst days in racing”;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/to.../?nowprocket=1
Mercedes’ deficit to Red Bull has “doubled or tripled”, admits Wolff
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 6th March 2023, 10:39
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Mercedes will tackle the question of how to respond to their poor start to the 2023 season “straight at the beginning of the week” said team principal Toto Wolff after Sunday’s race. The team’s hopes of shrinking its deficit to Red Bull were shattered in Bahrain where the reigning champions scored a dominant one-two. The first Mercedes home, driven by Lewis Hamilton, finished fifth and was 50 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen.
“When you look at where we were at the end of the season when it seemed like we caught up a lot and it was just a matter of which circuit suited us and which not,” Wolff told media including RaceFans. “I think we’ve almost doubled if not tripled the gap to Red Bull. And this is what we need to look at.”
Hamilton admitted Mercedes had the fourth-quickest car in Bahrain but Wolff said the sheer scale of their deficit to Red Bull is more troubling. “Everything in between – the Ferrari, the Aston – that’s just a sideshow. Having said that, I mean, what Aston Martin was able to achieve is a good inspiration because they came back from two seconds off the pace to be the second-quickest team, probably, on the road.
‘That’s just a sideshow’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/06/...-admits-wolff/
'A bit of a reality check' – Sainz worried by Ferrari's gap to Red Bull and Aston Martin after season opener
06 March 2023
Formula One - Official Site
Carlos Sainz says he and Ferrari have been handed “a bit of a reality check” after he finished fourth at the season opening race in Bahrain, with the Spaniard left concerned by the team’s pace when compared to rivals Red Bull and Aston Martin.
Sainz was able to fend off Hamilton in a late battle for fourth, but when asked whether he was frustrated not keep a hold of third place, he replied: “Not too much. I was actually surprised how long we were lasting in that position.”
The Spaniard later explained: “From the test we knew that the Red Bulls and the Aston Martins just have a lot better deg [degredation – ie, how gently they are able to treat their tyres], a lot better race pace than us, and in the end we had to settle for P4, which to be honest is not a lot better than we could have done today.
'A bit of a reality check';
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...P47YqHDWK.html
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Verstappen is already the heavy favourite for the F1 crown after just one race, Alonso shows class is permanent and Hamilton's Mercedes woes continue - SEVEN THINGS WE LEARNED from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
The first Formula One race of the 2023 season offered plenty of thrills and spills.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen made a serene start to world championship defence.
Fernando Alonso shone, while Lewis Hamilton came fifth at Bahrain Grand Prix.
Published: 16:02, 6 March 2023
By Max Mathews For Mailonline
In some ways, Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, the curtain-raiser to the new 2023 Formula One season, offered us exactly what we expected. Red Bull leading from the front to take a one-two, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton were off their rivals' pace, the same old issues for Ferrari.
On the other hand, the event in the Gulf kingdom also provided us thrills, spills, drama and fascinating new plotlines fans won't have seen coming. Aston Martin and Williams showing promising signs, nightmare starts for strong 2022 performers like Lando Norris and Esteban Ocon, and there was a grizzled 41-year-old on the podium.
‘Sportsmail looks at seven things we learned from the Bahrain GP.’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rand-Prix.html
Seven reasons why Max Verstappen’s Red Bull F1 team are just so bloody good
07 Mar 2023 6:00 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Best driver - The debate surrounding the greatest driver in F1 – in the present day and of all time – is highly divisive at the best of times, but can usually be answered by the posing of a simple question. Best wingman - The most disappointing thing about the Red Bull controversy in Brazil last year was that Verstappen did not seem to care much for the relationship he had just jeopardised.
Best car - When asked ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix to pinpoint the areas in which the RB19 was better than its predecessor, Verstappen’s initial one-word response would have sent a chill through the spines of his competitors. Best tech chief - Adrian Newey occupies an interesting position in the pantheon of sport’s greatest pioneers. Best team principal - Christian Horner has always recognised the importance of Newey to Red Bull. Whatever it took to keep Adrian Newey at Red Bull, Horner would do it and there is no greater tribute to his management than a passage in Newey’s autobiography on his decision to stay put in 2014, which reads like a love letter.
Best strategy - In Bahrain on Sunday, Verstappen and Perez were two of only three cars that finished in the top 10 to switch to a second set of soft tyres at the first round of stops. Best pit crew - On multiple occasions over the years Red Bull have broken the record for the fastest-ever stop, raising the bar higher still despite changes to wheel and tyre profiles as well as to rule-enforced pit procedures.
‘Red Bull F1 team are just so bloody good’;
https://www.planetf1.com/features/se...o-bloody-good/
The key Aston Martin F1 pitwall move that gets you to read this article – Up/down in Bahrain
March 6th 2023
Author James Elson
Motor Sport Magazine
Aston Martin showed its ultimate poker face when dealing a disgruntled Fernando Alonso on the radio. The Spanish inquisitor demanded throughout the race to know who had biffed him from behind early on was and if a penalty had been given – but the pitwall held fast and tight lipped due to the fact that Alonso had been punted by…his paymaster’s son Lance Stroll. Sailing those choppy waters was Aston’s second-biggest win of the weekend.
It felt like an almost ‘guaranteed certainty’: massive fanfare for the return of the world’s premier motor sport category, and it turns into an absolute ‘chef’s kiss’ of a dud race – in an event which summoned the atmosphere of the early 2000s Ferrari and Michael Schumacher. Like the Scuderia in 2000, its 2021 season saw a decent battle against the reigning constructor champions, which went its way. Similar to Ferrari’s 2001, 2022 looked a tad tricky at times for Red Bull, but it was ultimately unchallenged.
Now a year on, Milton Keynes looks set to crush the opposition, mirroring the 2002 season which was misery for all but Scuderia fans. Red Bull’s previous challenger, Mercedes, is already starting to imitate McLaren — Ferrari’s rival of the era — in always emphasising the positives for next year, whilst being lacklustre in the here and now. Bahrain had all the misery of early 2000s Melbourne about it – plus the human rights issues. Here’s what was going up and down in the desert.
‘Key Aston Martin F1 pitwall move’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
Aston Martin shares race higher after results and strong F1 showing
Aston Martin's share price raced over 22% higher on Monday morning, following impressive gains last week
11:44 Mon, 06 Mar 2023.
Josh Lamb.
Proactive Investors (UK)
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC (LSE:AML) shares raced 22% higher on Monday morning building on last week’s impressive gains, boosted by a strong performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday.
Monday’s hike then came after Aston Martin secured third and sixth place at 2023’s maiden Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain on Sunday. In London, Aston Martin shares moved as much as 22.5% in Monday's early deals to trade at 294p.
Looking ahead, City Index analyst Joshua Warner commented Aston Martin’s “outlook is improving,” given an inflation-driven hike in prices, making “2023 a key bridge year toward its goal to deliver £2bn of annual revenue” by 2024.
‘Monday’s hike then came after Aston Martin secured third and sixth place’;
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/?search=...rchheadlines=1
Our take on the extent of Mercedes’ F1 plight
16:47 Mon, 06 Mar 2023.
The Race
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff didn’t declare the Bahrain Grand Prix one of his team’s “worst days in racing” just because Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished a distant fifth and seventh. He said it because this weekend was when the scale of the past champion team’s plight became obvious. Even with porpoising and bouncing solved, and having had a winter to put its 2022 learnings into its new design, Mercedes was no closer to the front.
That led to Wolff’s huge declaration after qualifying that Mercedes’ whole design concept under F1’s current aero rules – which it had stuck to, despite its poor 2022, not just for its initial 2023 package but for the major upgrade coming in May as well – had turned out to be the wrong one and would have to be reconsidered.
How did Mercedes get into that state and how long will it take to do something about it? That’s what Scott Mitchell-Malm, Edd Straw and Mark Hughes debated on The Race F1 Podcast.
‘The extent of Mercedes’ F1 plight’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/our-t...des-f1-plight/
Ferrari haunted by ghosts of F1 past as Aston Martin embarrass rivals - What we learned at the Bahrain GP
Monday 6 March 2023 11:15
Ewan Gale
GPFans
The first F1 race weekend of the year is in the books with Red Bull utterly dominant. Max Verstappen headed home team-mate Sergio Perez by 12 seconds to complete a comfortable one-two ahead of Fernando Alonso, who stunned for Aston Martin. With Red Bull and Aston Martin gleeful and Ferrari and Mercedes on the back foot, GPFans takes a look at what we learned at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Ferrari ghosts return - The Monégasque looked to have settled for third with a comfortable gap back to team-mate Sainz, who was ahead of Alonso at the time, when a power unit failure left him stranded on the side of the road. After the issues experienced with the engines last season, Ferrari fans could be forgiven for feeling empty after the opening race. Leclerc was already on his second energy store for the year after a swap before lights out.
McLaren misery - If something could go wrong for McLaren, it likely did. Oscar Piastri's eagerly-awaited F1 debut was cut short with an electrical issue just 13 laps into the race. For Lando Norris, fortunes were no better with his MCL60 forced into six pit stops in order to top up on pneumatic pressure.
‘Ferrari haunted by ghosts of F1 past’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...f1-bahrain-gp/
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How three-penalty Ocon’s Bahrain GP ‘spiralled out of control’.
The bizarre array of penalties that Esteban Ocon incurred during the Bahrain Grand Prix is something the Alpine Formula 1 team is adamant will “never happen again” and Ocon himself reckons is unjust.
20:46 Sun, 05 Mar 2023.
By Matt Beer and Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
Ocon ended up with three separate penalties during the 2023 F1 season-opener, incurring the second while serving the first and the third while serving the second. He was initially given a penalty for an inaccurate starting position, as he lined up with his car’s right front tyre slightly out of his ninth-place grid slot.
Ocon felt he was unfairly singled out for that offence. “Four cars were also ahead [of their grid slots],” he argued. “I was not the only one out of the line. I was the most forward, that’s clear. But not the only one. So that’s a frustrating one.”
That meant a five-second time penalty, which he served at a pitstop where a damaged front wing was also replaced. He was running 12th before that stop. But the Alpine crew began work to do that before the time penalty had been fully served, which team principal Otmar Szafnauer said was due to a system problem.
‘Spiralled out of control’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/how-t...ut-of-control/
'Everything went wrong today' says frustrated Ocon after being penalised three times and retiring early in Bahrain
05 March 2023
Formula One - Official Site
It was a Bahrain Grand Prix to forget for Esteban Ocon after the French driver was not only forced to retire early from the race, but was also given three separate penalties for different offences on Sunday evening.
Ocon’s race then came to an end after he came into the pit lane and was boxed into retirement on Lap 43. And speaking after the race, the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix winner was less than impressed with his evening.
“Quite impressive how it was not our day today,” said a frustrated Ocon. “We are usually quite good on these operational things. Pit stopping, stopping at the right places, and these are things that we put a lot of effort on, so everything went wrong today for sure.”
'Everything went wrong today';
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...VpzCX9Bp6.html
What triggered Ocon's bizarre F1 penalty triple whammy
14:56 Mon, 06 Mar 2023.
Motorsport.com
From being out of position at the start to not serving his subsequent sanction correctly, Ocon's race turned from bad to worse when he also picked up a pitlane speeding offence.
In the end, the situation left him well outside the points and triggered the team's decision to end his race early.
How it unfoldedThe sequence of events kicked off before the start when Ocon lined up slightly.
‘The Trigger’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...ammy/10440641/
Alpine explains how one penalty became three for Ocon
Monday 6th March, 2023 - 11:52pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer has explained how Esteban Ocon’s Bahrain Grand Prix unravelled when one penalty became three. The Frenchman was one of three retirements in the race, his demise coming only after he felt the wrath of officials on three separate – but related – occasions.
The first of those was for a starting infringement, the second for that penalty being incorrectly served. He was then caught speeding in the pit lane to complete the trio which served to ruin his race.
“The grid penalty was I think out of position at the start of the race,” Szafnauer told media, including Speedcafe.com. “Then I think we were a half second off, or less than a half second off, before we started working on the car.”
‘One penalty became three’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/06...hree-for-ocon/
Pierre Gasly makes his Alpine demand very clear with radio message after Bahrain GP
Pierre Gasly managed to rescue a couple of points in his first F1 race with new team Alpine, having sparked concern with a miserable result in qualifying the previous day
16:46, 7 Mar 2023
By Daniel MoxonF1 Writer
The Mirror
Speaking over the radio after taking the chequered flag, the Frenchman seemed pleased with a good day's work. But he also laid down a challenge to his team so that he can be in a better position to fight for more points in the coming races.
His new race engineer Karel Loos said over the radio: "Nice work there mate, impressive last stint. And good to get in the points in your first race with us. We know what to work on and we'll definitely get some more points. This is a good start mate."
And Gasly replied: "Yeah, thanks guys. Really good strategy, really good pit stops. I must say that was fun! Nice race car, so if we start further up the grid we'll fight for bigger points. But yeah, nice recovery. We've got some work to do, but it's a good start."
‘Start further up the grid’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...hrain-29396491
Pierre Gasly on incredible recovery drive after starting from ‘Bahrain city centre’
06 Mar 2023 1:30 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Starting the Bahrain Grand Prix from the “Bahrain city centre”, Pierre Gasly put in an epic recovery drive as he raced from 20th on the grid to ninth at the chequered flag.
It was the perfect response from the Frenchman after he’d been criticised by his new Alpine team boss for a wretched qualifying performance on Saturday that left him at the very of the grid.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s 57-lap Bahrain Grand Prix, Otmar Szafnauer told Sky Deutschland that “if you look at Pierre, he doesn’t live up to expectations” with the driver having lost his fastest lap time in Q1 for track limits.
‘Incredible recovery drive’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/pierre...ion-next-time/
Gasly discovers Alpine 'confidence' after Bahrain recovery
14:35 Mon, 06 Mar 2023.
Thiemo Albers-Daly
GPFans
Pierre Gasly has revealed a newfound confidence at Alpine after recovering from a back-of-the-grid start to score points at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Frenchman endured a nightmare start to his Alpine career when, after qualifying 17th - a result that saw him eliminated in Q1 - his time was deleted for a track limits infringement and he was relegated to the back.
But Gasly put this behind him on Sunday and aided by the troubles of some rival drivers, he climbed to ninth, securing two world championship points. Speaking to Canal+, Gasly said: “We know what we need to work on. After only one race, it’s obvious that the top three haven’t changed (although) there is Aston (Martin) who have taken a big step forward.”
"I don’t think we need to panic. We just need to concentrate and we’ll have to develop during the season. (Alpine) showed that they could do it last year, There is no reason why the team can’t do it this year. I’m confident and I think we have a good base to work from. There’s still a lot of work to do to get more but it’s nice to start this season in the points.”
‘Alpine Confidence';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ne-confidence/
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Quick start and Alfa Romeo’s ‘aggressive’ strategy key to points finish in Bahrain, says Bottas.
Valtteri Bottas managed not just to score points at the season opener, but to finish in the ‘best of the rest’ slot of eighth, behind the new ‘big four’ of Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin – but ahead of Alfa Romeo’s midfield rivals. It was a result perhaps seemed unlikely after a less than stellar showing for the team on Saturday.
06 March 2023
Formula One - Official Site
Having been knocked out of qualifying in Q2 alongside his team mate Zhou Guanyu, Bottas's Alfa Romeo C43 didn’t look to be the class of the midfield. But as Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg tangled off the line, Bottas used all his experience to avoid the melee and emerge at the end of the first lap inside the top 10.
From there, Alfa Romeo adopted an aggressive strategy, pitting him early to avoid being undercut and despite wearing tyres in the closing stages, he was able to cling onto that eighth place at the flag. “I’m pleased, I don’t think there was much more to get today, all the cars ahead of us were clearly much faster unfortunately,” he said afterwards.
“For that I’m happy and also being aggressive with the strategy was nice. so solid first race. We have a good base car and today shows that yes we can score points with this car. There’s still obviously lots of work to do so we’ll keep working hard.”
‘Strategy key to points finish’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...aUb5536Yd.html
Alfa Romeo’s fastest lap bid with Zhou was targeted at Alpine
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 7th March 2023, 8:59
Written by Ida Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Alfa Romeo’s head of trackside engineering Xevi Pujolar has confirmed the team pitted Zhou Guanyu at the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix to take a point away from rivals Alpine. Pujolar explained the team’s tactical move after the race. He said Zhou’s start to the opening round was compromised when he lost four places at the start, which consigned him to a finish well outside the points-paying positions.
“With Zhou, it was just in the last part of the start pulling away, it went a bit too much [into] wheelspin and we lost some ground there,” he told media including RaceFans. “After that, we were just trying to see if we will get back into the fight, towards the mid-point of the race. That’s why also we tried with a soft [tyre strategy] in the last part of the race in the third stint.”
‘Alfa Romeo’s fastest lap was targeted’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/07/...ted-at-alpine/
Alfa’s Alpine-foiling tactic was impressively ruthless
7th March 2023, 09:53
By Matt Beer and Edd Straw
The Race
Alfa Romeo started the 2023 Formula 1 season as it ended F1 2022: doing everything in its power to ensure a key rival didn’t score all the points it could – even if it meant being a little unconventional and perhaps a touch sneaky.
In Bahrain last weekend there was no need for Alfa Romeo to cause any traffic jams. This time it achieved its aim by deploying its pace at the right moment. It identified McLaren and Alpine as its 2023 opposition. McLaren took care of itself with its reliability problems. Esteban Ocon took care of one Alpine with a near-comedic sequence of penalties.
‘Ruthless’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alfas...vely-ruthless/
Alfa Romeo-Alpine fight tipped to be “nasty and close” in F1 2023
6 Mar 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Sky Sports’ Ted Kravtiz believes the battle between Alfa Romeo and Alpine is “going to get nasty” as they fight for fifth in the F1 constructors’ championship. Valtteri Bottas started Alfa Romeo’s F1 2023 campaign with a P8 finish, running as high as sixth early on.
Bottas fended off a fast-charging Pierre Gasly, who stopped under the Virtual Safety Car for new softs. It means Alfa Romeo sits fifth in the constructors’ championship after Bahrain, two points ahead of Alpine.
With Aston Martin taking a big leap into the top pack, Alpine are likely to be in a battle with Alfa Romeo and McLaren, when they turn things around. Alpine could have come away from Bahrain with an additional point, with Gasly holding the fastest lap.
“Nasty and close”’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102177...and-close-2023
Valtteri Bottas says Alfa Romeo can challenge Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes
Alfa Romeo looked strong during pre-season testing, putting them in the mix to challenge at the top of the midfield.
6 March 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News11:38 Mon, 06 Mar
Alfa Romeo will be looking to build on their impressing 2022 by climbing higher up the midfield this season and Valtteri Bottas has admitted that his is confident of a enjoying a competitive year.
“Not as fast as Red Bull, not as fast as Ferrari and also Aston Martin looked faster in race pace,” said the 33-year-old when asked about Alfa Romeo’s car.
“But other than that, it’s really close. Like you said, the time of day makes a big difference, engine modes can make a difference up to one second per lap but taking that into account we should be in the mix
‘Can challenge Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/valtteri-...-and-mercedes/
-
Zak Brown gives simple but BRUTAL verdict on McLaren misery.
"Bahrain wasn’t good enough. We know McLaren should be better than that, and we know we’re better than that. The team is working hard to get us back into the points in Saudi." Zak Brown.
Tuesday 7 March 2023 22:45
Stuart Hodge
GPFans
Norris talked in detail about the issues he had on Sunday, being forced to stop every 10 laps to refill his pneumatic systems. In total, Norris pitted six times while the remainder of the field executed a mix of two and three-stop plans.
Lando Norris on Bahrain misery. "We could have boxed (retired) after the first problem," he conceded. After they knew I was going to have to box every 10 laps, they knew I was going to be out of the race very quickly but we still tried to stay in it for as long as possible. That’s why we only retired with two laps to go.”
‘McLaren misery’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...reaction-2023/
Lando Norris mocks McLaren after embarrassing Bahrain GP
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both endured technical issues at the season-opening race in Bahrain last weekend.
7 March 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Despite the disappointment of not being able to run a normal race, Norris was in good form after the race, where he joked that the “biggest positive” of the race was all the practice his pit crew got.
“I think the best thing is the mechanics did a lot of pit stop practices. That’s the biggest positive,” Norris joked.
“Good start, good launch, made up a few positions and then we had problems from turn one basically – pneumatic problems and various other issues. That just brought out us of the race more and more, we had to pit every ten laps and that was it.”
‘Mechanics did a lot of pit stop practices’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/lando-nor...ng-bahrain-gp/
‘Oh my god’: Piastri reacts to ‘miserable’ F1 debut as Bahrain disaster exposes McLaren hole
March 6th, 2023 10:46 am
Zac Rayson
Fox Sports (Australia)
Aussie Oscar Piastri’s F1 debut lasted just 14 laps as his McLaren team suffered a nightmare opening race of the campaign. But he was called into the pits on lap 14 with an issue, and his car failed to restart after a steering wheel change.
“I lost the gear box,” Piastri told his race engineers on team radio. “The engine was completely dead,” Sky Sports commentator Ted Kravitz said.
“I guess he had to turn it off before he came into box but now he’s shaking his head and what a miserable start. We’re all expecting him to have a stellar Grand Prix career but this is not the first Grand Prix he wanted. He’s shaking his head.”
“I lost the gear box”;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...734884b7c7d77d
McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri reveals what caused his Lap 15 retirement in Bahrain
05 Mar 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Oscar Piastri’s Formula 1 debut lasted just 15 laps in Bahrain – and after the race the Australian revealed an electrical issue on his McLaren forced his retirement.
‘Electrical issue’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...018057185.html
McLaren chief fires back at critics: Pace of the car beyond expectation
Can McLaren recover from a disappointing start to the 2023 F1 season?
March 6, 2023
By Andrew Wright
Total Motorsport
Contrary to popular belief, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella thinks there were plenty of positives to take from a Bahrain Grand Prix that yielded zero points.
“I think the most positive element is that without issues, Lando would have been a strong contender for points,” Stella told reporters after the 2023 Bahrain GP.
“The pace of the car in the race was almost beyond expectation. I think in the race we see some reward of the work we did over the winter of trying to improve the interaction of the car with the tyres.”
‘Beyond expectation’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...d-expectation/
McLaren were quick enough for double points finish without car problems – Stella
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 6th March 2023, 17:056th March 2023, 21:43
Written by Ida Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
McLaren’s race was ruined by technical problems for both drivers but their cars were quick enough for both to score points, team principal Andrea Stella believes. Stella said McLaren opted to keep Norris in the race despite his problem. “There was a pneumatic pressure leak on Lando’s car,” he explained. “We discovered this leak relatively soon in the race, and then we knew that it was possible to do only 10, 11 laps each time before having to refill.
“So we decided to stay in the race. We decided to try and stay at least within one lap from the leader in the last ten laps and then if there is a Safety Car try and see if there’s an opportunity. But it meant that we did six stops. I think the most positive element today is that without the issues, Lando would have been a strong contender for points,” he said.
“The pace of the car in the race was almost beyond expectation. I think in the race we see some reward of the work we did over the winter in trying to improve the interaction between the car and the tyres. This was certainly a strong position on Lando’s side.”
‘McLaren were quick enough’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/06/...oblems-stella/
The encouraging signs within McLaren’s nightmare start
09:12 Tue, 07 Mar 2023.
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
McLaren’s disastrous no-score in Formula 1’s season opener was caused by a wiring problem and a pneumatic leak, which wrecked a Bahrain Grand Prix that was “more encouraging” than expected.
Oscar Piastri’s F1 debut lasted 13 laps as an electrical issue started interfering with his gear shifts then resulted in a car shutdown that could not be resolved by a steering wheel change as hoped.
McLaren has been managing expectations since the launch of the MCL60 because this version of the car is the result of an old development direction that was abandoned late last year. A revised, much stronger design is due to arrive at the fourth race of the season in Azerbaijan, with some upgrades in Saudi Arabia and Australia before then.
‘A revised, much stronger design is due to arrive’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-e...ghtmare-start/
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Unsettled Williams lacks 'vision of excellence' says new F1 boss Vowles.
New team principal James Vowles says that it will take years to break into the midfield fight, as he overcomes the legacy left by seasons of struggle
March 8th 2023
Author Chris Medland
Motor Sport Magazine.
Williams was clearly the 10th fastest team last season, picking up eight points in total as it only enjoyed competitive weekends on a fleeting basis. Dissent took on two forms within the team – from those unhappy at Jost Capito and his hiring approach, and from others feeling there was a resistance to change.
In just two weeks James Vowles has been understanding the magnitude of the project he has taken on. “Because of testing and because of racing the amount of days physically in the factory just haven’t been at the level required,” Vowles said ahead of the opening round. “I’ve had a chance now to walk round the facility and meet – albeit briefly, for a few seconds – individuals within the team, so I have a very, very macro-awareness of what’s there and what’s not there. But the detail behind what needs to be done across the next six months isn’t formed in my mind.”
“I think certainly a realistic step for this organisation is first and foremost, make sure that every year, we are just edging forward and not standing still. That has to be dream number one. Dream number two is that we have to set a sensible period of time in the future, and it’s years, where we start to actually break into sixth, fifth, fourth.”
‘Williams lacks vision of excellence';
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
Williams ‘survived’ 15 years of under financing
Tuesday 7th March, 2023 - 7:00pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
New Williams team boss James Vowles has suggested the once all-conquering F1 team has simply “survived” for the last 15 years. “The team has, over the last 15 years, been through a tremendous amount of difficulty, financially and otherwise, and it’s survived,” Vowles told selected media, including Speedcafe.com.
“But it is just survival compared to other organisations that have had finance. That’s the luxury I had prior to joining, and as a result of that you have the stark differences between where we are today, and where we need to be in the future.” Given the team’s financial constraints, Vowles believes what money his predecessors had available has been used well.
“It’s just the problem is it’s a small piece of the pie that you need to fill entirely, all of the components need to be improved, not just one,” he explained. “They’ve just been limited by the steps they’re taking, so there’s more to do but certainly the investment so far has been pretty much correct.”
‘15 years of under financing’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/07...der-financing/
Williams celebrates best season start in six years
13:20 Tue, 07 Mar 2023.
F1i.com
Williams crews came together at the team's factory in Grove on Monday to celebrate the British outfit's best start to an F1 season in six years. The achievement came courtesy of Alex Albon's spirited drive to P10, but rookie Logan Sargeant followed up his teammate's performance with an impeccable debut race that landed him in 12th position.
"Wow, what a fantastic way to start this season!" commented a very proud James Vowles, Williams' new team principal, after Sunday's race. "For Logan, first race ever in Formula 1 and finishing 12th – solid performance from start to finish! And for Alex, he did this incredible job, always defending to faster cars behind.”
"What I'm proud of and what I'm pleased to see is that there's a good set of foundations to work from. I think our performance will probably be up and down from here. We can't expect to have this luxury going forward. McLaren I'm sure will get everything together. But in the meantime we've got to pick every single point we can."
‘Best season start in six years’;
https://f1i.com/images/468215-willia...six-years.html
WILLIAMS: THE HIDDEN HEROES OF THE BAHRAIN GP?
Both drivers of the Grove-based team are happy with their results
March 7, 2023
Lena Ferle
FormulaNerds
In 2017, Felipe Massa was the last Williams driver to score points at the opening race (then in Australia). Alex Albon managed to do so again after six years and a 10th place in Bahrain.
Both Albon and F1 rookie Sargeant survived the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix without any damage, allowing them to slowly but surely work their way forward. After ten laps, they were in 11th and 13th place before they pitted for the first time. The second stint also went without problems, so both Williams drivers started the last stint on hard tyres.
Sargeant and Albon fought with Gasly and Zhou for their places but emerged as the winners of the fights. Alex Albon scored the first point of the season for Williams in P10, and rookie Logan Sargeant finished the race in P12.
‘HIDDEN HEROES’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/wi.../?nowprocket=1
What made an assured F1 debut so good in Bahrain
Mar 8 2023
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
Logan Sargeant blended impressive commitment, opportunism and outright pace to produce an assured Formula 1 debut that set a good foundation for his rookie season. Sargeant was a left-field pick for the second Williams seat alongside Alex Albon and needed other candidates like Oscar Piastri and Nyck de Vries (his fellow F1 2023 rookies) to move elsewhere to land his F1 promotion.
When Williams signed Sargeant, he represented a wildcard kind of pick. He wasn’t the finished product in F2 but had shown enough through his junior single-seater career to see that there was some really nice raw material to work with. There is also, clearly, a real hunger to improve and crucially an ability to do so. It’s likely that many simply didn’t know quite what to expect from Sargeant in F1. But his debut was a fine early display of his credentials, even if it is only the beginning.
“From myself there’s definitely more to come,” Sargeant said. “I still have a lot to learn for sure. The team did an amazing job, guiding me through the weekend, helping me operationally, tried not to put too much on my plate, and just let me focus on the driving which is what I needed. There’s a lot to learn on that side. But I still need to keep working on my driving and adapting to this car and just maximising the performance of it.”
‘A real hunger to improve and crucially an ability to do so’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/what-...od-in-bahrain/
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Yuki Tsunoda calls for AlphaTauri updates ‘as soon as possible’ after Bahrain GP.
When discussing specifics of what he would like to see changed on the AT04, Tsunoda said his main targets are for the car to have more grip and less drag in the coming races, reasoning that it was difficult for him to keep up his pace when following other cars during the Bahrain Grand Prix.
07 Mar 2023 3:45 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Yuki Tsunoda hopes to see “good updates” brought to AlphaTauri as soon as they can after a tricky start to the season in Bahrain.
The team looked to be competing at the back of the field alongside Williams in the early part of the weekend, and while Tsunoda was able to make headway in the midfield in the race on Sunday, he narrowly missed out on scoring a point in finishing behind Alex Albon come the chequered flag. “So frustrating that I’m just stuck behind the Williams, so close to scoring points at the end,” Tsunoda told media including PlanetF1.com in Bahrain.
“It was really hard to maintain pace or kind of okay pace. We are still far away from I think the pace we wanted, to basically drive behind the cars there is sliding around and overheat[ing] the tyres, so we just need more grip in general. Hopefully we can develop through the season but we just need more as soon as possible, good updates [as] well, since we continue like this all year.”
‘AlphaTauri updates as soon as possible’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/yuki-t...pdates-needed/
‘It’s very frustrating’ – Tsunoda highlights ‘decisive moment’ after narrowly missing out on points in Bahrain
08 March 2023
Formula One - Official Site
AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda was left to rue what might have been at the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, saying a poor start set the tone for a race that yielded no reward. Tsunoda lined up in 14th position in Sakhir but dropped behind both Williams drivers when the lights went out and struggled to live with their straight-line speed.
“The start was the decisive moment as I lost some positions to Williams, and their straight-line speed was too strong for us, so we couldn’t manage to overtake them. I’m happy with my tyre management, although we struggled more than we thought. As soon as we wanted to push, the tyres began to overheat, and I started to slide around and lose the rear.”
“We have more work to do to develop the car so we can consistently fight the midfield, starting with Saudi Arabia,” Tsunoda continued. “Since we struggled with high-speed performance, Saudi might be difficult, but I’m staying positive as I’m sure the team and I will be able to extract speed from the car to be able to score points.”
‘Decisive moment’;
De Vries buoyed by AlphaTauri’s midfield display
09:20 Tue, 07 Mar 2023.
by Phillip Horton
Motorsport Week
Nyck de Vries says AlphaTauri can be encouraged by its performance during Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix after making his full-season debut for the team. AlphaTauri cut a low-key figure during pre-season testing while in qualifying de Vries was eliminated in Q1, though team-mate Yuki Tsunoda went on to make Q2.
AlphaTauri was firmly in the thick of the lower midfield action in Bahrain, with Tsunoda only narrowly missing out on the top 10 to Williams’ Alex Albon. De Vries classified in 14th position and was keen to draw on the positives from AlphaTauri’s Bahrain performance.
“What was important to me is that we were able to fight in the midfield and we were certainly up there in terms of pace,” said De Vries. “And that was encouraging. It’s a shame we missed out on the VSC pitstop at the end, but that’s the decision we make and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
‘AlphaTauri can be encouraged by its performance’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...field-display/
De Vries ‘pretty satisfied’ with his AlphaTauri debut in Bahrain
05 Mar 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Nyck de Vries might not have scored any points in the Bahrain Grand Prix, but the Dutchman was pleased with how his debut for new team AlphaTauri went and said their race pace was a positive step for the Italian team.
‘Pretty satisfied’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...238437305.html
De Vries 'encouraged' by AlphaTauri pace in F1's midfield
07/03/2023 at 16:17
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Nyck de Vries' second race in F1 wasn't the show-stopping performance he produced on his Grand Prix debut last year in Monza, but the Dutchman was nevertheless encouraged by AlphaTauri's pace in F1's midfield in Bahrain. A scrappy qualifying on Saturday left de Vries stuck in Q1 down in 19th position while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda produced a strong lap that gave him a pass into Q2 where he set the 14th fastest lap.
However, when AlphaTauri opted to split its strategies under the Virtual safety Car, de Vries was the odd man out, which left him struggling on old rubber during his final stint. But the 28-year-old preferred to take away from the weekend his team's overall race pace rather than his own individual performance.
"What was important to me is that we were able to fight in the midfield and we were certainly up there in terms of pace," said De Vries. "And that was encouraging. It’s a shame we missed out on the VSC pitstop at the end, but that’s the decision we make and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
‘E'encouraged by AlphaTauri pace’;
https://f1i.com/news/468228-de-vries...-midfield.html
Nyck de Vries escapes Bahrain penalty after Lando Norris FP2 incident
03 Mar 2023 6:45 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
AlphaTauri debutant Nyck de Vries has escaped a penalty after a close call in the pit lane with Lando Norris in the second practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Dutchman was released into the path of Norris’s McLaren during FP2 at the Sakhir circuit, with the British driver locking up after braking to avoid contact before complaining of an unsafe release over team radio.
The incident was the subject of an investigation by the FIA stewards, but a verdict of no further action was reached. Norris had a typically witty reply when asked how the visit to the stewards for himself and De Vries went, saying: “Great, everyone got away with everything.”
‘Bahrain penalty escape’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/nyck-d...ident-bahrain/
2023 Bahrain GP: Race
Drivers and Team’s quotes after the race
05 March 2023
Scuderia Toro Rosso - Official Site
Yuki Tsunoda (AT04-02, Car 22)
Race: Pos. 11th
“The race pace was better than we expected, but at the same time, it’s very frustrating to just miss out on points.”
Nyck de Vries (AT04-02, Car 21)
Race: 14th
“I’m pretty satisfied with our race today. Obviously, it could have been better and there is room for improvement, but in terms of performance, our race pace was decent.”
Jody Egginton (Technical Director)
“Both Yuki and Nyck have done an excellent job tonight from lights out until the chequered flag. They managed the tyres well, provided good feedback to the pit wall, and delivered a good performance.”
Franz Tost (Team Principal)
“First of all, congratulations to Red Bull Racing for a fantastic start to the season, finishing with a one-two and so far ahead of the rest of the field. From our side, I am not satisfied with our performance. From a technical point of view, we have a lot to work on as the car isn’t on the level I expect.”
‘Drivers and Team’s quotes’;
https://scuderia.alphatauri.com/en/2...hrain-gp-race/
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Bahrain Grand Prix: Race Recap.
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team finished with Kevin Magnussen 13th and Nico Hulkenberg 15th at the Bahrain Grand Prix, held Sunday at the Bahrain International Circuit.
March 5, 2023
Haas F1 Team - Official Site
Hulkenberg lined up from 10th place on Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires while Magnussen was the sole driver on the grid to opt for White hard tires – the Dane from 17th. Both drivers relinquished track position on the opening lap, with Hulkenberg suffering from minor contact and dropping to 15th, while Magnussen brought up the rear on his off-set strategy.
Hulkenberg came in on lap 12, the German switching to hard rubber, before another stop on lap 27, which included a front-wing change. Magnussen pitted on lap 15 for more hard tires before switching to softs on lap 30. Both drivers took the opportunity of a virtual safety car period, caused by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc coming to a halt, to pit for a third time on lap 40, both taking on softs. Magnussen greeted the checkered flag in 13th place while Hulkenberg finished his first race for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in 15th position.
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal: “The result wasn’t what we expected – Nico didn’t have a great start losing a front wing endplate and Kevin was, in hindsight, on the wrong tire at the start. I think race pace was better than we expected and that’s what we take away from here – there is good potential in the car. We qualified in the top 10 and maybe could even have been in the top eight if everything went perfectly.”
‘The result wasn’t what we expected’;
https://www.haasf1team.com/news/bahr...x-race-recap-5
F1's most unwanted records: Ocon joins Moss & Hülkenberg on luckless list
March 6th 2023
Author: Cambridge Kisby
Motor Sport Magazine
Entering F1 after an abundance of success in the junior ranks, Nico Hülkenberg was widely regarded as a potential world champion in waiting, a reputation he confirmed with a surprise pole position at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix during his rookie campaign for Williams.
But after a string of misfortune and critical driver errors, Hülkenberg has failed to achieve the minimum of what many expected of him in his 14 years of F1 experience – a podium finish. The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Hulkenberg and Lewis Hamilton clashed while fighting for the lead, and his heartbreaking DNF at the 2019 German Grand Prix while running fourth is the closest Hülkenberg has come to showing his full potential.
But in 184 grand prix starts, Hülkenberg has only finished as high as fourth – a record that he will hope to rectify during his time with Haas in 2023 and beyond.
‘Unwanted records’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
Hulkenberg says he was going through tyres 'like a hot knife through butter' after Lap 1 contact in Bahrain
07 March 2023
Formula One - Official Site
"Yeah, a tricky race, especially in the first half," he said on Sunday. "Apparently, I had some contact with someone… on Lap 1, which I didn’t even really notice. So that’s a bit frustrating, and I think I had some stuff missing from the front wing and lost a lot of load from that, and grip… so that made the first half of the race very, very tough.”
"We tried to hang in there but I was just going through my tyres like a hot knife through butter. I think in the middle of the race we thought there was no point continuing like that – [so I] pitted for a new front wing."
Hulkenberg then accrued 15 seconds' worth of penalties for exceeding track limits, which put him 15th in the classification. While the German driver said it was useful to get a race under his belt, he maintained that his Sunday was heavily compromised by that front wing damage. "A vicious circle, then lots of blue flags, and it was just going backwards from there. Yeah, but a race distance, good info, and take that in the bag," he summarised.
‘15 seconds' worth of penalties’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...zQ68XRPoS.html
Hulkenberg’s tyres ‘like a hot knife through butter’ amid damage
15:37 Tue, 07 Mar 2023.
by Phillip Horton
Motorsport Week
Kevin Magnussen, who was eliminated in Q1 on Saturday, gained places to finish 13th, though the results meant Haas missed out on scoring points.
“I was pleasantly surprised with our race pace,” said Magnussen. “We started P17 but still made up a few positions and it felt like the pace was alright in terms of where we came from.
“I think we were struggling a lot in testing and on Friday with tyre wear and in the race it seemed like we made a step, which is positive. It wasn’t the weekend we dreamed of, but we learned a lot.”
‘Kevin Magnussen’;
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1/Haas
Hulkenberg went through tyres 'like a hot knife through butter'
08/03/2023 at 14:53
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Nico Hulkenberg's says damage suffered on the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix led to his Haas going through its tyres "like a hot knife through butter" during his opening stint.
Heavy tyre degradation ensued which pushed the German further down the order, sealing the Hulk's fate for the remainder of the evening. Hulkenberg took away from his complicated race return the fact that Haas was able to gather significant more data on its VF-23 over the course of the evening.
On the other side of the Haas garage, Kevin Magnussen made up for a mediocre P17 qualifying performance with a strong few opening laps that carried the Dane as high as 9th.
‘Heavy tyre degradation ensued’;
https://f1i.com/news/468279-hulkenbe...gh-butter.html
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Vasseur orders 'full investigation' into Leclerc's engine issue.
Vasseur said his team would do "a proper analysis of the situation to know what is going well and what is going wrong and to try to get the best on the issues".
05/03/2023 at 20:11
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Adding to Ferrari's engine woes was the relative performance of the Italian outfit's SF-23 in Sunday's event and its significant deficit in race trim to Red Bull's winning RB19.
"Overall, I would say that the picture is not the one expected before the race," conceded Vasseur. "If we want to win races, we need to have a clean sheet on the weekend and not small details here and there."
"But now that we have a better picture of the situation and we know exactly what we need this weekend we have to clearly make a step forward," he concluded.
'Full investigation';
https://f1i.com/news/468062-vasseur-...ine-issue.html
Ferrari “never expected” engine failure which ended Leclerc’s race – Vasseur
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 5th March 2023, 19:247th March 2023, 9:42
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
During the winter Ferrari focused on eliminating the reliability problems which undermined their 2022 campaign. There was no prior indication of the fault which brought Leclerc’s race to an end.
“We never expected to have something like this because it’s the first time that we had it,” said Vasseur. “We didn’t face the same issue at all during the six or seven thousand kilometres that we did with the engines last week with the three teams. And we never had the same issue on the dyno throughout the winter.”
“Never expected”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/05/...-race-vasseur/
Vasseur: Ferrari need 'clear picture' on where team are 'failing'
06 March 8:55AM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365
Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur believes the team need to achieve a "clear picture" on where they are "failing" after Charles Leclerc's Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix retirement.
"It's never good to start with a DNF," Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365.com, in Bahrain. "I would have preferred to finish for sure, but now I want to stay consistent in my position. I told the team before one or two weeks ago that the championship won't be over in Bahrain because of the results.”
'Clear picture';
https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-fe...we-are-failing
Ferrari’s Frédéric Vasseur: “We have to ensure we have no more reliability problems”
March 6, 2023
By Joe Briley
TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk
Frédéric Vasseur admitted it was not the best of starts for the Maranello-based team in Bahrain, and it will be important to understand what caused Leclerc’s failure so they can prevent it from happening again. “Of course we are disappointed, how could we not be. We knew we’d have to deal with tyre degradation, but we had not expected reliability problems.”
“It’s a shame for Charles, because in the first stint his pace was good and even with the heavy degradation on the Hard tyre, he could have brought home a third place, that would have been a good way to start the season. Carlos drove a solid race, running at a consistent pace and he gave it his all to finish fourth.”
‘Shame for Charles’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...lity-problems/
Vasseur reveals Ferrari 'game-killer' in Red Bull Bahrain battle
Monday 6 March 2023 16:22
Sam Hall
GPFans
"I think everybody was expecting that Red Bull would be a bit further away in quali and we were there, able to match them in the first 15 laps," said Vasseur.
“For me, this was good news. The fact that they were able to do two softs and one hard when we had to do two hards and one soft, it was for sure a game-killer and we have to improve on this. But I would say the first issue for me is the reliability because we have to have zero issues.”
‘Good news’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-fred-vasseur/
Qualifying performance proves Ferrari can rival Red Bull on race pace – Vasseur
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted on 9th March 2023, 8:139th March 2023, 7:20
Written by Ida Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Vasseur said the team “don’t have to go into this direction” of changing the car’s design as its qualifying pace demonstrates it can be a threat to Red Bull on Sundays.
“I’m completely convinced about this,” he told media including RaceFans. “I never saw a car able to match the pace of another one in quali and not be able to in the race. Then it’s a matter of set-up and some choices on the car. But it’s not a matter of concept at all.”
‘Matter of set-up’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/09/...-pace-vasseur/
Fred Vasseur ‘completely convinced’ SF-23 concept can take fight to Red Bull
08 Mar 2023 1:30 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Fred Vasseur is convinced that having taken the fight to Red Bull in qualifying, Ferrari’s problem in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix was the “set-up” and not a fundamental flaw with the car.
Asked if the SF-23 could be upgraded to take the fight to Red Bull in grands prix, he replied to media including PlanetF1.com: “I’m completely convinced about this.”
‘Completely convinced’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fred-v...em-in-bahrain/
Vasseur not scared of Ferrari pressure
Wednesday 8th March, 2023 - 3:00am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Ferrari’s newest team boss, Fred Vasseur, has said he is not scared of the pressure that comes with his high-profile role. It is into that furnace that Vasseur has willingly gone, having been poached from his former role as CEO of Sauber Motorsport – a position which at the time encapsulated the team principal job for Alfa Romeo Sauber.
“I think that clearly there is more emotion, passion, and so on around Ferrari, but at the end of the day, I think all the racing teams are similar,” he explained of the differences between the two teams. We have the same DNA. It’s all about technique and performance, and continuous improvement. The approach is the same, passion is a bit higher but it’s okay.”
‘Into that furnace’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/08...rari-pressure/
‘Only one stupido’: Frederic Vasseur reacts to Toto Wolff prank
8 March 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
“It‘s Toto,” F1TV presenter Will Buxton said to Vasseur, whilst Wolff was touching his ear.
“Yeah I know. There is only one stupido doing something like this in the paddock,” Vasseur replied.
“Only one stupido”;
https://formula1news.co.uk/only-one-...o-wolff-prank/
