The 2023 Formula One season gets underway with today’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen took pole position as he begins his quest to claim his third consecutive F1 Drivers’ Championship, with the Red Bull once again looking the dominant team after Sergio Perez qualified second to lock out the front row.
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz start third and fourth on the grid as the newly Fred Vasseur-led Scuderia look to get their house in order and contend with the pressure of a title race - should they have the pace.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW THE F1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX LIVE!
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will hope to put a miserable 2022 behind them in the Mercedes but any hopes of their previous dominance being restored appear wide of the mark. Russell beat Hamilton to sixth place by just 0.044secs.
A potential wildcard contender can also not be dismissed with Aston Martin the early favourites to be the cat among the pigeons, guided by the wily Fernando Alonso.
When is the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix?
The F1 Bahrain Grand Prix takes place this weekend with the race this afternoon, Sunday, March 5, 2023.
What time does the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix start?
The race starts at 3pm GMT.
How to watch the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
TV channel: The race is live on Sky Sports with coverage starting at 1.30pm on Sky Sports F1 and at 2pm on Sky Sports Main Event. Free highlights are on Channel 4 at 9pm.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can watch live via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on Sunday with Standard Sport’s race blog featuring expert analysis from Matt Majendie in Bahrain!
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix grid positions
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:29.708
2 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:29.846 +0.138
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:30.000 +0.292
4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:30.154 +0.446
5 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:30.336 +0.628
6 George Russell Mercedes 1:30.340 +0.632
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:30.384 +0.676
8 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:30.836 +1.128
9 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:30.984 +1.276
10 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1:31.055 +1.347
11 Lando Norris McLaren 1:31.381 +1.673
12 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:31.443 +1.73
13 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:31.473 +1.765
14 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:32.510 +2.802
15 Alexander Albon Williams -
16 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:31.652 +1.944
17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:31.892 +2.184
18 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:32.101+ 2.393
19 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri 1:32.121 +2.413
20 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:32.181 +2.473
