the dutch max verstappen and your team Red Bull starts again as favorites to win the titles of the 2023 Formula 1 World Cupa year for which Fernando Alonso has recovered the illusion with Aston Martin and hopes to be at the level of Mercedes and Ferrari, which should be the options to break the monopoly of the Austrian team, with a Carlos Sainz ready to step up.
It seems that the world which started this Friday at the Bahrain International Circuit will follow the same paths as last year, with a very domineering ‘Mad Max’ on paper. The two-time world champion dominated the first day of the official pre-season tests at Sakhir with his RB23, while on his second and last day of testing he came very close to a surprising Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo).
Verstappen is willing to convert the ‘great circus‘ back in their ‘garden’, without giving the rest options from the start. In 2022 he raised the record for wins in a single season to 15, and prevailed by 146 points over charles leclerc (Ferrari). In addition, his superiority, together with the support of his reliable squire Sergio Perezallowed those of the energy drink to break the dominance of Mercedes in the Constructors’ World Championship, which they had won in the previous eight years.
The Asturian driver Fernando Alonso starts this World Cup on the right foot, sneaking into the top positions during free practice this Friday, where he was second, between the two Red Bulls. In the afternoon, things got better for the Spaniard, as he ended up being the fastest. He has not had the same luck Carlos Sainzwho started 14th.
Bahrain GP schedule
Saturday March 4
Free practice 3: 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Classification: 4:00 p.m.