Verstappen Wins and Alonso Impresses at F1 2023 Season Opener

Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen eases into a comfortable victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix to open the 2023 season.

The F1 2023 season is officially in session, folks!

The off-season wait is finally over, and it’s good news for Max Verstappen fans, as the two-time World Champion opens his campaign for a third-straight title with a victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old came into the Grand Prix starting on pole position and using his advantage, as soon as the five lights went out, Verstappen was well on his way to creating a comfortable lead that would see him cross the checkered flag with a huge lead.

Sergio Perez crossed the line after his teammate give Red Bull a one-two finish — a perfect start to 2023.

Fernando Alonso came from fifth place to finish in third place to complete the first podium of the season.

With this, Verstappen also records his 35th career race win, his first in the Bahrain Grand Prix, and on a perfect race weekend. Is this victory a sign of yet another dominant season for the Dutch driver?

Who was the most impressive driver on the track?

Undoubtedly, Fernando Alonso was definitely the driver of the evening.

Much of the excitement on the track at the Bahrain Grand Prix was thanks to the 41-year-old. After losing a position on the first lap of the race, Alonso used the rest of the race to make impressive moves to make his way back up, overtaking Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

After Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari suffered from a failure that saw him stop the car on the side of the track with just a few laps left to go, this opened an opportunity for the Spaniard.

In fourth, Alonso chased down Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari for yet another brilliant overtake to seal his spot on the podium — his 99th career podium finish.

“This is a lovely car to drive,” Alonso shared to his race engineer on the radio before even crossing the line.

Aston Martin definitely seems to have gotten things right, or so this first race weekend is telling us early on.

But with a very long season left to go, there is still a lot more for these drivers to prove. Who are you rooting for this F1 2023 season?

Banner image from F1 on Twitter.

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