That Red Bull would be able to ‘break the bank’ at the Bahrain Grand Prix had already been sufficiently clear at the end of the pre-season tests. However, there were still different opinions regarding the margin that the Verstappen-Perez tandem would have benefited from, and this is where the surprise came.
This is not good news for those hoping for a hard-fought season, because from what emerged in the first fifty-seven laps of the season, Red Bull’s gap on the rest of the field is closer to a second than five tenths.
It’s the first race, it’s true, but when you start to believe that 2023 offers a very long season in which the values on the field could change, the comments of those who were on the track arrive, as in the case of George Russell: “I I expect Red Bull to win all the races on the calendar, I’m ready to bet on it”.
The slap was strong and one can tend to exaggerate, but it is undeniable that today the RB19 in terms of race pace confirmed themselves in a category of their own. It’s a mix of performance and tire management, a deadly combination that gave Perez and Verstappen wings.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, ahead of Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, in the early stages of the race
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The world champion was able to get away immediately with the same compound (his margin over Leclerc was 7 seconds on the tenth lap) but it was above all the strategy that was able to afford only the Red Bull.
Verstappen and Perez completed the race with two sets of soft and one of hard, the only ones who can afford it. “Today we’re not able to complete the race with that sequence of compounds – confirmed Vasseur – it’s one of the aspects we need to work on”.
“In qualifying the margins are small – confirmed Leclerc – we can hope to be there to play it, but in the race we are one second away. They found something, probably already last year, and a problem that we need to look into, as well as obviously the one relating to reliability”.
“Opponents wanted”, the paddock seems to be asking, but it won’t be easy. “Today was one of our worst days since we’ve been in racing – commented Wolff – we missed almost everything. Aston Martins are very fast and Red Bull is simply on another planet.”
Apart from the Red Bull one, there were only two pits where smiling faces were seen after the race. The Williams one and… Fernando Alonso, who continued to send messages of love to all of Aston Martin. Hugs, smiles, handshakes for everyone, Alonso sees a rosy future ahead and a present to celebrate.
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari team principal
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Among the disappointed only Vasseur tried to see it as less gray: “In two weeks we’ll be on a different type of track, with a different asphalt and other compounds”, but it will take a few days to get back to hoping that someone can really make life difficult at Red Bull.
Even Christian Horner himself, usually superstitious when it comes to announcing victories, finds it hard to embrace the thesis that beyond everything ‘it will be tough’. “A championship of 23 races is a marathon, and you need to be able to confirm yourself on all tracks and in all conditions. We expect our rivals to be able to annoy us in the near future, but at the moment I can say that we have made a great start. Last year we left Bahrain with zero points, today with 43″.
Max Verstappen wins the Bahrain GP with the Red Bull RB19
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
To be honest, it’s not the maximum loot, because Red Bull didn’t get the fastest lap. On other occasions the team had no problem fitting a set of softs in the final stages to one of its two drivers, but today it was not deemed necessary…
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