Feature
FACTS AND STATS: Red Bull end a long wait for success in Bahrain – as does Alonso
Max Verstappen blazed to victory under the Bahrain lights in the opening race of the 2023 F1 season, in which Red Bull took a one-two to begin their season in style, and Fernando Alonso turned heads with a brilliant podium finish. The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix offered up some very interesting facts and stats, as well...
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The winner of the opening race has been the championship runner-up every season since 2017.
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Max Verstappen has never previously won the opening race of the season. He won the Bahrain Grand Prix for the first time on his ninth attempt.
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Red Bull have only previous won the opening race once (Australia 2011), and have never finished one-two in the first race before.
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Red Bull have not won in Bahrain for 10 years (Sebastian Vettel in the last daylight race here in 2013).
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Red Bull qualify one-two and finish one-two in a race for the first time since the 2013 Abu Dhabi GP.
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Fernando Alonso scores Aston Martin's second podium finish in the marque's 50th Grand Prix start.
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Alonso scores only his second podium finish in his last 122 Grands Prix, and his first since Qatar 2021.
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Alonso is 41 years, 219 days old today. Only one older driver has been on the podium in the last 37 years (Michael Schumacher was 43 at Valencia 2012).
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Yesterday was the 22nd anniversary of Alonso's F1 debut (Australia 2001).
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Carlos Sainz took P4, having finished in the same position at the final race of the 2022 season.
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Lewis Hamilton's fifth place was his worst finish in Bahrain since he was fifth in the 2013 race.
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Lance Stroll in P6 matches his best result from the 2022 season (sixth in Singapore).
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Stroll finished in the top six despite not driving the car in pre-season testing.
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With Russell in seventh, the two Mercedes cars finished 51 and 56 seconds respectively behind the race winner.
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Eighth-placed Valtteri Bottas scored points in Bahrain for the 10th consecutive time.
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Ninth-placed Pierre Gasly of Alpine scores points from last on the grid for the second time in his career (finished 10th in Mexico City, 2018).
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Williams scored in Bahrain for the first time since 2017, when Felipe Massa was sixth, thanks to Alex Albon's P10.
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Zhou Guanyu finished 16th but took fastest lap for the second time in his career, having done so in Japan 2022.
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Lando Norris finished 17th having made six pit stops. Sunday was his second-straight non-scoring Bahrain Grand Prix.
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