Can Max Verstappen finally conquer the F1 Bahrain GP after two heartbreaks in a row?
Max Verstappen has lost out rather painfully at the last two Bahrain Grands Prix. But in 2023, he seems to be in prime position to win the race.
Follow Us
Max Verstappen after his retirement at 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix
Red Bull were undoubtedly the dominant force in 2022. For the first time since 2013, they won the Constructors’ championship. And in quite the fashion as well – they sealed it with three races to go. On the drivers’ side, Max Verstappen reigned supreme. He won 15 races – from Red Bull’s total of 17 – which, for a driver, is an all-time record. It was one of the most dominant seasons of all time by a driver, but it didn’t start that way.
In Bahrain, Red Bull suffered a double retirement, both of them coming from mechanical issues. Verstappen won the next race, but then retired again in Australia. However, from Imola onwards, both Red Bull and him were almost untouchable. While the car also eventually become untouchable, the eventual gap to the second-placed Ferrari didn’t reflect actual car performance.
Instead, Red Bull dominated, at least in the first half of the season, because they were the most complete package and did not mess up – unlike Ferrari. Coming off the back of such a dominant season, they are favorites in 2023, again. And if their performance in the pre-season tests is anything to go by, their competitors have some work to do in catching up to the British team. They topped two out of three days; on the one they didn’t top, they were only 0.040s behind.
Pre-season testing performance is not always representative of what may happen during the season. However, almost everyone seems to agree that Red Bull will start the season on top. The car looks well-behaved, and the team look confident. Verstappen, too, is favorite for the championship win, and for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix. But he’s faltered on two previous occasions, in 2021 and 2022, though he then went on to win the championship on both occasions.
A recap of Max Verstappen’s past two Bahrain Grands Prix
In 2021, Lewis Hamilton was coming off the back of his most dominant season ever. The last race of the previous season had been won by Max Verstappen and in Bahrain, for the first time in his career, the Dutchman took pole position for two races in a row. And despite a chaotic start and a safety car restart, he kept his lead. That was, of course, until he pit on lap 18. Hamilton had pit on lap 14, and as it happened, was in the lead when Verstappen came out of the pits.
For the second stop, Hamilton pitted early again on lap 36, while Verstappen did so on lap 36. The Dutchman began chasing Hamilton, and by the start of lap 53, was under 5 tenths behind. He overtook Hamilton on the same lap but was asked to give up the place as he was judged to have gained it after going off-track. After that, Verstappen never got a real chance and struggled in the dirty air coming from Hamilton’s Mercedes. So he finished second.
2022 was not much better, and it’s fair to say that it was worse. Ferrari and Red Bull, and Verstappen and Charles Leclerc looked relatively well-matched throughout the course of the weekend. Leclerc started in pole position, with Verstappen just behind, and Carlos Sainz in third. The Monegasque kept the lead till lap 17, when he was passed by Verstappen on the main straight. In the next DRS zone, Leclerc surged ahead again.
The next lap was the same story: Verstappen passed Leclerc on the straight, and Leclerc retook the lead during the next DRS zone. But on lap 19, this sequence broke, as Verstappen locked up going into turn 1. After that, he never had much of a chance, but it went from bad to worse. He started to experience some issues, and on lap 54, he was passed by Sainz. On the same lap, he retired from the race.
So, how is it looking for Max Verstappen in 2023?
In short: It’s looking pretty good. As mentioned before, Red Bull and the RB-19 looked pretty incredible in pre-season testing. So they’re definitely favorites for the upcoming race, which is also in Bahrain. Going off pre-season testing times is always a bit tricky. No team is really going to show their full potential, and we don’t know how much fuel they have in the car, or if they’ve turned the engine down for a particular lap, etc.
But most ‘insiders’, and pundits are putting Red Bull top of the pile. By and large, Ferrari are being considered their closest competition. But there’s no way to be sure. Mercedes, from their own statements, think they will be a start behind Red Bull and Ferrari. But there’s also a surprise contender: Aston Martin, who Toto Wolff thinks could be in second. So, despite differences in opinion of who will be ‘second’, everyone agrees that Red Bull will start the year on top.
That in and of itself is a really good sign for Max Verstappen. In the past two years, the Dutchman has had the measure of his teammate, Sergio Perez. Last season, ‘Checo’ was pretty competitive with Verstappen on a few occasions, like in Jeddah where he took the pole, and during his win in Monaco. He has won in Bahrain before, though with a different circuit configuration. But no one would tip him to win against Verstappen.
Instead, Verstappen’s closet competition is likely to come from other teams. Charles Leclerc will be the prime candidate among the drivers. The Monegaque won over Verstappen last season, and it’s not out of the question that he can repeat the result. Whatever the case, Verstappen remains the favorite. But maybe it’s better that he does not win in Bahrain – indeed, some fans are even hoping that he does not!
This is because, since 2017, every driver that won the first race of the season has NOT gone on to win the title. In fact, they’ve finished second every time! Sebastian Vettel did so in 2017 and 2018. Valtteri Bottas in 2019 and 2020, and Lewis Hamilton in 2021. Nico Rosberg was the last man to pull it off when he won the Australian Grand Prix and narrowly beat Lewis Hamilton to the title in 2016. But this is rather superstitious and is unlikely to find any space in Verstappen’s head.
Everyone is in Formula 1 to win, and the Dutchman will be looking to do the same in Bahrain. At least till now, everything seems to be pointing in the direction of him triumphing in Bahrain. Maybe even the season as a whole. Not only did Red Bull look incredible in pre-season testing, but considering just how dominant their car became over the competition in 2022, combined with their and Verstappen’s performance last season makes him the obvious favorite. If there was any driver you’d bet on to break this first race curse, it would be Verstappen.
In case you missed it:
- Max Verstappen rubbishes claims that Red Bull only develop F1 cars according to his liking
- Helmut Marko lambasts claims that Red Bull’s RB-19 is built just for Max Verstappen
Stay Updated!
Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)