FACTS AND STATS: Red Bull end a long wait for success in Bahrain – as does Alonso

Max Verstappen blazed to victory under the Bahrain lights in the opening race of the 2023 F1 season, in which Red Bull took a one-two to begin their season in style, and Fernando Alonso turned heads with a brilliant podium finish. The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix offered up some very interesting facts and stats, as well...

The winner of the opening race has been the championship runner-up every season since 2017.
Max Verstappen has never previously won the opening race of the season. He won the Bahrain Grand Prix for the first time on his ninth attempt.

Red Bull have only previous won the opening race once (Australia 2011), and have never finished one-two in the first race before.
Red Bull have not won in Bahrain for 10 years (Sebastian Vettel in the last daylight race here in 2013).
Red Bull qualify one-two and finish one-two in a race for the first time since the 2013 Abu Dhabi GP.

Max Verstappen Bahrain Grand Prix — Max Verstappen won the Bahrain GP on his ninth attempt, and won in Bahrain on his 10th visit in Formula 1 (counting the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix)

Fernando Alonso scores Aston Martin's second podium finish in the marque's 50th Grand Prix start.
Alonso scores only his second podium finish in his last 122 Grands Prix, and his first since Qatar 2021.
Alonso is 41 years, 219 days old today. Only one older driver has been on the podium in the last 37 years (Michael Schumacher was 43 at Valencia 2012).
Yesterday was the 22nd anniversary of Alonso's F1 debut (Australia 2001).

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 05: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin AMR23 Mercedes — Sunday was Aston Martin's 50th Grand Prix start – and Alonso took P3

Carlos Sainz took P4, having finished in the same position at the final race of the 2022 season.
Lewis Hamilton's fifth place was his worst finish in Bahrain since he was fifth in the 2013 race.
Lance Stroll in P6 matches his best result from the 2022 season (sixth in Singapore).
Stroll finished in the top six despite not driving the car in pre-season testing.
With Russell in seventh, the two Mercedes cars finished 51 and 56 seconds respectively behind the race winner.
Eighth-placed Valtteri Bottas scored points in Bahrain for the 10th consecutive time.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 05: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes talks with Valtteri — From 2014 to now, Bottas has scored points in Bahrain

Ninth-placed Pierre Gasly of Alpine scores points from last on the grid for the second time in his career (finished 10th in Mexico City, 2018).
Williams scored in Bahrain for the first time since 2017, when Felipe Massa was sixth, thanks to Alex Albon's P10.
Zhou Guanyu finished 16th but took fastest lap for the second time in his career, having done so in Japan 2022.
Lando Norris finished 17th having made six pit stops. Sunday was his second-straight non-scoring Bahrain Grand Prix.

FACTS AND STATS: Red Bull end a long wait for success in Bahrain – as does Alonso

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