Verstappen on the podium after his victory in Bahrain (Picture: Getty)
‘We know we are not where we need to be, and we know that this isn’t the right car’
Thank goodness for Fernando Alonso. Having turned the driver market on its head last summer when he announced his shock switch from Alpine to Aston Martin, the 41-year-old veteran now finds himself at the wheel of his most competitive F1 car in a decade.
Such was the pace in the pre-season test, some were even touting him for a possible pole position in Bahrain. In fact, he started the race P5 behind both Red Bulls and both Ferraris, but proved over 57 laps that the Aston Martin AMR23 is the second quickest car on the grid.
Nevertheless, he crossed the finish line 39 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen and 27sec adrift of Sergio Perez’s sister Red Bull. Of all the teams, Aston have made the biggest strides over the winter. They were seventh last year, with no podiums to show for it. Alonso’s third place and his team-mate Lance Stroll’s drive to sixth puts them second in the constructors’ standings.
Mercedes and Ferrari are aghast at the speed of the British racing green cars and their own shortcomings. But what Alonso’s efforts camouflaged on Sunday is that the second biggest strides made are Red Bull’s. They are more dominant now than they were at the end of 2022.
Last year’s title runner-up Charles Leclerc has no points on the board after his Ferrari power unit gave up the ghost after 39 laps. The Scuderia’s new team principal Frederic Vasseur has had a shorter honeymoon than he had hoped for.
Alonso made the switch from Alpine to Aston Martin last year (Picture: PA)
If Fred looked demoralised, it was nothing compared to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who is threatening to put Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s new car in the bin.
The English pair were P6 and P7 on the grid, with Hamilton leading Russell home with fifth. Not enough progress has been made with the W14 to close the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari. The gap has grown, and that’s allowed Aston in.
Some of the fundamental problems with last year’s troublesome W13 have carried through. The design philosophy is wrong. With it, they can shave a tenth here and there but they will never square up to the Bulls. So while Alonso brought a spectacle and some excitable headlines, 2023’s championship is in danger of being a foregone conclusion: Title No.3 for 25-year-old Verstappen and a second on the bounce for Christian Horner’s gang. The fight between the runners-up will be fascinating but will that be enough to keep people tuning into the longest season in history with 22 races still to go?
Will Max Verstappen cruising to victory once again be enough for everyone? (Picture: Getty)
That will be of concern to F1’s commercial rights owner, which has seen its value increase through the sport’s sudden popularity with TikTokers and Netflix subscribers.
A Verstappen cakewalk is unlikely to hold their attention for long, and then they could be lost forever. Everyone wants to see Alonso, Hamilton, Russell and Leclerc getting stuck in.
George is the bearer of bad tidings, saying after finishing seventh: ‘Red Bull has got this championship sewn up, I don’t think anyone is going to be fighting them this year.
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‘I expect they should win every single race this season. That’s my bet. With the performance they have got, I don’t see anyone challenging them.’
His team-mate may well reckon the same, even if he won’t voice it. ‘There’s nothing I can say. I don’t want to say too much. We’ve just got to keep working,’ said Hamilton, who needs to add another 12 months on to any hope of an eighth title. ‘We know we are not where we need to be, and we know that this isn’t the right car.
‘It’s a difficult one. But I’ve just got to try and stay positive, keep my head up and keep pushing the guys. Keep trying to be a positive light for them and get the best points I can.’
MORE : Max Verstappen the man to beat in Bahrain but 2023 F1 championship is an all-star race
MORE : Your guide to the F1 teams for 2023
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‘Thank goodness for Fernando Alonso.’