lap charts, times and tyres · RaceFans

Red Bull were untouchable in the opening race of the 2023 season, not least because they were able to run a more aggressive tyre strategy than their rivals.

The RB19s were the only cars among the front-runners to tackle the race using two sets of soft tyres on a two-stop strategy. While Max Verstappen scooted off into the distance, Sergio Perez used his extra time on faster rubber to easily jump ahead of Charles Leclerc, who passed him at the start.

The opening corners of the race did not go well for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso had out-qualified both Mercedes but was behind them by lap two.

Mercedes were anxious to avoid Alonso enjoying the benefit of fresh rubber before either of their drivers, however, and brought both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in for their first stops before the Aston Martin driver came in. That was repeated the second time around, leaving Alonso with tyres that were six laps fresher than Hamilton’s, and he pressed home his advantage to pass the Mercedes.

“We had a plan in place,” team principal Mike Krack told media after the race. “We tried not to get carried away by people stopping early because we knew that you lose the tyre advantage.

“And we wanted to do a good show for you guys, pass on track and not in the pits. Joking! No, honestly at the end of the day it was really executed properly.”

Alonso went on to demote Carlos Sainz Jnr’s Ferrari for third place. Whether he would have been able to catch and pass Leclerc will never truly be known, as his Ferrari didn’t reach the end of the race.

Red Bull won the championships last year not by having the car that was quickest over a single lap – Ferrari took more pole positions than them – but by being fastest over a race distance. The evidence of the first race of 2023 is Aston Martin has learned this lesson better than any of Red Bull’s rivals.

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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix lap chart

The positions of each driver on every lap. Click name to highlight, right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:

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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix race chart

The gaps between each driver on every lap compared to the leader’s average lap time. Very large gaps omitted. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix lap times

All the lap times by the drivers (in seconds, very slow laps excluded). Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and toggle drivers using the control below:

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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix fastest laps

Each driver’s fastest lap:

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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix tyre strategies

The tyre strategies for each driver:

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2023 Bahrain Grand Prix pit stop times

How long each driver’s pit stops took:

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix

Browse all 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix articles