Fernando Alonso overtakes George Russell with a nice maneuver. (Video: SRF)
The pedestal
There was no tension regarding the victory on Sunday: world champion Max Verstappen drove in a league of his own and secured a start-finish victory without any risk. Teammate Sergio Perez lost a place at the start, but over the course of the race he also used the Red Bull dominance and finished second. Formula 1 oldie Fernando Alonso sensationally made it onto the podium.
Charles Leclerc was on course for the podium when he had to park his Ferrari. “There hasn’t been much positive from the last few days,” says a frustrated Leclerc.
The scene of the race
Almost only one person caused a spectacle in Bahrain: 41-year-old Spaniard Fernando Alonso. In his Aston Martin, he caused quite a stir in qualifying. After a modest start on Sunday, he went all out to attack and fought two really strong duels with Hamilton in the Mercedes and Sainz in the Ferrari. Each for the better end for the oldie. “It was great. We were the second fastest car in the race,” said a happy Alonso.
The best drivers
Formula 1 fans tip their hats to Fernando Alonso. Completely overshadowed by everyone, Pierre Gasly also showed a really strong race in his Alpine. Having started from the very last place, he secretly scored points in ninth place – including the fastest race lap.
The biggest frustration
The eagerly awaited Formula 1 debut of super talent Oscar Piastri in the McLaren was over following just 16 laps. problems with the car. “I loved the experience, you can only celebrate a first race once. It’s a shame that the race didn’t go as planned.” McLaren teammate Lando Norris also had obvious problems with the car. He finished the race in last place – following six (!) pit stops.
Alpine pilot Esteban Ocon also had a day to forget: First he received a penalty for not being in the correct starting line-up. But he didn’t do it properly and was penalized once more – and then he was too fast in the pit lane and received a third penalty and then gave up on the 43rd lap.
That’s how Alfa-Sauber did
After a furious start by Valtteri Bottas, the race for the Alfa-Sauber stars remained largely unspectacular. Bottas finished in the points in 8th place, Zhou only made it to 13th place. (wed)
