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.

READ MORE: Verstappen leads 1-2 in Bahrain season opener as Leclerc retires and Alonso takes final podium place in style

• 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.

• 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).

• 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.

• 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.