IT was a case of new season, same result as Max Verstappen cruised through to win 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 2022 champion took pole on Saturday before accelerating off into the distance to claim his first win of the season in the Gulf State.
Max Verstappen carried on how he left off as he cruised to victory
Fernando Alonso’s pace in the Aston Martin proved too much for Lewis Hamilton
Would-be challengers Ferrari were unable to cope with the race pace of Red Bull, with Charles Leclerc not even able to keep pace with Sergio Perez before his car’s engine gave out.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, far from his usual place near the top of the order, was busy scrapping it out with ex-McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso for fifth place.
And all of this after Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff admitted the team may need to completely scrap their design.
Yet the battle did not last long, with Alonso completing a daring move down the inside of the seven-time world champion at turn 10 on lap 39.
The Aston Martin driver had taken an unexpected first place across the final two practice sessions, and consequently found himself battling with his old adversary.
The two-time champion later overtook Carlos Sainz to claim an F1 podium for the first time since 2021.
Further down the order, McLaren and Lando Norris had a weekend to forget as the Brit was forced to pit FIVE times due to engine issues.
Team-mate Oscar Piastri, who rejected Alpine in favour of replacing Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren, saw his McLaren debut end in disaster as he was forced to retire.
