On the back of two championship wins, Red Bull yet again flew to victory unhindered at the Bahrain GP. Verstappen crossed the line first whilst teammate Sergio Perez came in second, earning Red Bull their first one-two and Verstappen his first win in an opening race.
In a surprising turn of events, Red Bull found their next closest competitor in Aston Martin, who beat Mercedes and Ferrari with 23 points compared to a respective 16 and 12. It seems as though Fernando Alonso’s move to join the team in search of ‘a more competitive car’ has paid off, with his efforts at Bahrain earning him third place. This bestows the team with their second-ever podium finish, and Alonso with his 99th. There’s no doubt he's one of the drivers to watch this year. Even Lewis Hamilton struggled to defend against him, with the Alonso's Aston snaking down the inside of the Mercedes in a agile overtake as Hamilton attempted to cover the outside. Aston Martin had teased some of their strength at testing a few weeks previously, but now confirm their position in the running for one of the top spots in the constructor’s championship. Their other driver Lance Stroll came home in sixth – an especially impressive feat given his only very recent recovery from injury.
But drastic improvement from Aston Martin wasn’t the only surprise to hit the midfield. William’s also looked to be climbing the ranks, with Alex Albon bringing home points in 10th and rookie Logan Sargeant notably equalling more experienced driver’s qualifying times. Moreover, McLaren – usually a staple midfield team – had an appalling weekend, with Lando Norris’ car limping into the pit an embarrassing five times due to pressure leaks, and Oscar Piastri retiring because of electrical issues. Over at Alpine, Esteban Ocon had what was arguably an even more frustrating Sunday, after a series of penalty violations culminated in a whopping 35 seconds being added to his lap time.
Ferrari and Mercedes also suffered disappointment, with both teams promising comebacks this year but each failing to surpass the midfield. Ferrari suffered issues hauntingly reminiscent of technical problems they faced last year, with a long pursuit of second place from Leclerc ending on lap 41 following a power unit failure. Technical failures seem especially foreboding for Leclerc, after a series of malfunctions (as well as numerous painful strategy calls) ground his championship hopes to a halt last year.
The next race will be in Saudi Arabia on the 19th of March. Will it be more misfortune at Ferrari, or can we expect a battle between Alonso and Leclerc? After such a memorable opening race, more changes to the grid seem likely this year.
