Beyond The Score

 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix

Practice:

The Aston Martin hype train seems to be moving full steam ahead currently with Fernando Alonso’s exploits headlining the first day of action. Coming into Bahrain there were many questions and although we got some answers the real evidence of performance is still to be seen in qualifying and race day. The consensus coming in was that Red Bull held the cards at a relentless pace that no one would be able to match. With Sergio Perez leading the opening session by over four tenths it seemed as though that prediction was proving to be bang on. Although Aston Martin was touted as having made strides, perhaps not to this extent. Even an injured Stroll who wasn’t fully recovered managed a sixth-place finish. This pattern continued into Practice Two. However, this time it was the Spaniard who topped the timing sheets. Practice Three didn’t help to silence dampen the hype either as once again Alonso put in a cracking time. In spite of the fact that time is slightly irrelevant when it comes to qualifying in the daytime, it still whets the appetite.

Qualifying:

The opening qualifying session of the season saw Gasly, De Vries, Piastri, Magnussen and Sargeant eliminated. The latter was very unfortunate. As a result of finishing his lap earlier, he was eliminated, despite putting in an identical time as Lando Norris. Formula One really needs to look at that rule. It really isn’t sensible and doesn’t take track temperatures into account. Could you put both them through? In this case it would be fine, but if the first and second were to finish in identical times then you couldn’t manage that type of regulation. The way it is currently set up is the simplest and easiest, but by no means flawless. The eye-opening fact was that in qualifying one the whole group was split by less than a second. Needless to say then, any miniscule mistake was extremely costly. Qualifying two saw that gap more than double as those at the back drove considerably slower. Likewise, those near the top led the sandbags fall out the car as Max Verstappen fittingly put it. This time it was an exit for Tsunoda, Guanyu, Bottas, Norris and Albon. The final qualifying saw a return to normality as Red Bull hit a one-two with Verstappen leading Perez followed by the two Ferrari’s straight away. (You would have been forgiven for thinking it was 2022). As the weekend’s story unfolded, Alonso split the Ferraris from the two Mercedes’s, with Stroll, Ocon, and Hulkenberg following closely behind.

Race

Perhaps the only surprising thing was the complete dominance of Red Bull throughout the race. You can never tell who will win a championship after a single race. After all, a year ago this week many were suggesting that Ferrari would return to their dominant ways and rack up both championships. The main difference this weekend though was the utter lack of fuss behind Verstappen’s race. There was a slight fight on the starting straight and that’s as much stress as the two-time world champion would have had. George Russell claimed that Red Bull are likely to go invincible this season. While that is incredibly unlikely and verging on impossible, you can understand the thought pattern of a frustrated driver. Especially one who thought he would be fighting for a world championship but has found himself a mainstay in the midfield alongside Hamilton. The other story of the evening was Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard excelled this weekend and bagged a podium to tip it off.

What this means for each team

Red Bull (A)

Team principle Christian Horner mentioned that with the aerodynamic testing capacity reduction that it would be crucial when they didn’t feel the effects that they started off strong. Almost exactly what he had hoped for, as the Milton Keynes-based team set the tone in practice and finished the weekend off with a one-two. What is key around Bahrain historically? Tyre degradation of course. Yet, on a track where teams notoriously struggle with this issue Red Bull never blinked twice. Having a set-up that suits both qualifying and racing was not a problem for them, giving them a real competitive edge. Verstappen – who comfortably set a pole by the way – complained after qualifying that his car’s balance was all over the place. Yet on race day it paid off as he managed to set comfortable lap times without straining his tyres in the slightest. It does beg the question : how far forward will the Dutchman be when he is happy with the balance? Anyway, this week was a race that was described on his behalf as “lonely”. Unless there is a major swing in development in performance from the opening week (which we have seen a lot) it is likely that he won’t be getting anymore company in the upcoming races.

Aston Martin (A)

Just wow. The pre-season hype was well placed for a change in the world of Formula One. The nostalgia of a Fernando Alonso podium plus the grit and determination of Lance Stroll meant a major points haul occurred. Yet, on the opening lap it could’ve been an oh so different story. Contact between the two drivers meant that a double DNF was a real concern. That would have been tragic for Aston Martin. They seem to sit second in the pecking order currently. Therefore, every podium and points haul they can get must be capitalised on as it is likely that the superior facilities of Ferrari and Mercedes will overtake them at some point during the season. It’s similar to the Haas exploits her last season, although on a far smaller scale. A really solid qualifying of p5 and p8 left all above on guard as the one thing that pre-season testing and practice showed us was that the race pace trumped the qualifying pace of Aston Martin’s car. This proved to be the case as Alonso stormed through the field on his way to a podium. Fans of the UK-based team must be wary after all Bahrain is a peculiar track. Just because you have the pace at Bahrain doesn’t mean you will set the timing sheets on fire for the rest of the season. There will be more evidence of true performance at the likes of Spain and Imola. Although, to even be in the position they are shows the immense progress they have made. This makes you wonder how strong they will be when they do move into that new factory? Red Bull have even tried to claim that there is another “Pink Mercedes” episode, this time they themselves falling victim. When other teams are trying to catch your operation out, you know you are doing well.

Merc (D)

Aston Martin did a better aerodynamic job with the same wind tunnel and engine and even less overall facilities. That really sums it up for Mercedes. Rumours that they are going to scrap the car concept and start from scratch have been circulating. Even Lewis Hamilton’s future with them has fallen victim to rumours. George Russell and Toto Woolf have tipped Red Bull to win every race this season. The news that former technical director James Allison is set to return isn’t enough to lift spirits. Yes, it’s gloomy for Mercedes currently. There is a defeatist attitude in the garage of the former eight time back-to-back constructors championship winners and there is no piece of the jigsaw that explains why. Last season the issue was supposedly the proposing. “If it wasn’t for the proposing we would have had the fastest car” some claimed. Therefore, with this issue being solved many felt this season would be one where they would return to the front of the pecking order. The gap is wider in 2023 though. If anything they look more like a midfield side than ever with a race victory on that machinery looking like mission impossible. Qualifying was underwhelming and the race wasn’t much better. Perhaps the only positive of their situation is that there was real speed in a straight line. However, an improvement in traction is needed or they won’t be able to exploit this advantage.

Ferrari (C)

Deja vu means “already saw” in French, yet for the Italian outfit this description fits perfectly. A new team principle but same old story. Perhaps, that is slightly harsh on Fred Vasseur after all he is only in the door. It is likely we can expect to see his blueprint on the car in 2024. The alarming fact though is that there seems to have been a step back in the pecking order. A Leclerc DNF was all too familiar and raised concerns over whether reliability issues had actually been fixed. Plus, in general Carlos Sainz seems to still be quite a bit off the pace of his teammate during race day. If there is any silver lining it must be remembered that Bahrain is a track of unique characteristics. That is why it’s always difficult to take away great knowledge from this opening weekend. (Nico Rosberg was the last World Champion who won at Bahrain). Vasseur remains adamant the Ferrari will be able to challenge the Red Bull. Perhaps this is over optimistic, it’ll be fascinating to see.

Alfa Romeo (B)

They slipped under the radar all weekend but still managed to earn valuable points. Veteran Valterri Bottas swooped up a p8. In general they look as though they have gained a competitive edge in comparison with the 2022 car. Whether that is due to themselves improving or the likes of Alpine and McLaren losing ground will be intriguing. It must be remembered though that Alfa Romeo started 2022 in rapid fashion but gradually got slower as the weeks wore on. It’s up to them to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Alpine (C)

The French team were the biggest unknown coming into the week. For whatever reason they didn’t show much hand in pre-season testing, leaving fans and pundits on edge scratching their heads about what prospects lie in hand. Based on the weekend results, you would have to say they have lost a bit of ground to those at the top. Obviously letting go of Alonso was disappointing meanwhile the Piastri fiasco was an absolute mess but a fully home grown pairing of Gasly in Ocon is hardly that bad. Moreover, that lost ground isn’t really a case of themselves falling backwards but more due to the stunning progress of Red Bull and Aston Martin.

Williams (B)

Williams didn’t look like the slowest car in Bahrain and that represents progress. The expertise of James Vowles seems to have got last year’s poorest team off to a strong start. The continuous excellence of Alexander Albon clearly paid off as he wrestled that car into the points. In terms of what Williams want, it is pretty simple. Progress. 2021 looked as though they had made that jump from being the slowest car however last season was another one spent at the back. The early signs are promising but as mentioned so many times, Bahrain is never the most accurate barometer for overall performance.

Alpha Tauri

And now for the pointless teams… There was a couple of seasons ago where Alpha Tauri looked as though they could realistically challenge the top teams on a given day. With Pierre Gasly working wonders (remember the p6 jokes), they were often regarded as the best of the rest. The Frenchman will look back on Monza in 2020 with fond memories. Now that seems like a lifetime ago and the Alpha Tauri are well and truly fighting at the back of the field. A debut week for Nick De Vries was uninspiring and Yuki Tsunoda although at a higher level was unable to push that car into a points position. Updates seem necessary to be competitive and Yuki Tsunoda knows they can’t happen soon enough. Speaking to Gpblog he said “I cant say the moment when those updates might come, but it’s just that we need them as soon as possible, absolutely. I know when they are coming, but I don’t want to say.”

Haas (C)

In terms of progress made I think it’s fair to say that Haas are the team that hasn’t really moved forwards or backwards this season. Nico Hulkenberg worked wonders in qualifying however come the race it was clear that the tyre degradation ate away at them. Points looked a possibility however the lack of grip soon became a real issue. The German spoke after the race about the difficulties that he endured with tyre management to Autosport: “It made the first half of the race very, very tough. I was just going through my tyres like a hot knife through butter. I think in the middle of the race we decided there’s no point continuing like that, so I pitted for a new front wing. Vicious circle then, lots of blue flags, it was just going backwards from there.”

McLaren (F)

Just a bit of a nightmare to be honest. If there is one winner out of this weekend it is Daniel Ricciardo for taking a healthy pay check so he didn’t need to drive a tractor. Seriously though, how poor could they have been? Reliability, driveability, and speed were all missing. Few would have thought it could get much worse than Bahrain’s last year, but somehow it delivered on that front. If there is one thing that Bahrain last year taught us to be fair it is that things could change extremely quickly for the better, and that is the way the McLaren fans will have to be thinking, for their own sanity. It does make you wonder how long Lando Norris will want to hang around, especially with the speculation at the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes.

All Images : Wikimedia Commons