Formula One is back and better than ever. The season opened on March 20 in Bahrain and all 20 teams arrived with their new cars, ready to begin the fight for the title. This season opener showed that the status quo could be broken this year. With new car regulations and this year’s driver lineup, it is all up in the air about how the season could end.
After a weekend of testing on the track and three sessions of free practice, most of the teams seemed to be finding their way. All of the teams running a Mercedes engine experienced pacing issues unfamiliar to many of them. But those with a Ferrari engine experienced pacing that could put them in contention for the title.
One of the biggest stories to come out of this weekend was the performance of the Haas team. This team didn’t have a great 2021 season finishing with zero points but things seem to be changing. The return of former driver Kevin Magnussen and the new car seems to be projecting a better season for the team. Magnussen brought home fifth place despite being out of the sport for a year and his teammate Mick Schumacher finished the race in a career-best eleventh place.
Ferrari brought home a 1-2 finish, the first since 2019. Lewis Hamilton occupied the third podium spot despite experiencing less than perfect results in his new Mercedes. RedBull seemed to have the pace and power necessary to remain out front but it all fell apart in the last few laps. Max Verstappen’s car would have to be retired due to engine problems and Sergio Perez’s engine would fail not long after. This left the team with no points to start the season. Despite a strong run last season, McLaren would also finish out of the points.
The season opened with a doubleheader, the second of these two races taking place in Saudi Arabia. And just like its predecessor, it was a wild weekend. The track in Jeddah is the fastest street circuit on the calendar and it is also one of the longest. This is only the second time the sport has visited this track, the first taking place last December at the end of the season.
On March 25, during Free Practice, a bombing took place about 20 miles from the track. The explosion took place at the Aramco oil storage facility, a major sponsor of F1. The FÍA, the governing body of F1, brought in all of the drivers and team principals to discuss the logistics of the race weekend continuing and after many hours of deliberation, it was deemed safe to continue.
Qualifying was full of unexpected moments. The qualifying session of Formula One is broken into three sections, Q1, Q2 and Q3. At the end of each section, the bottom five drivers are dropped and will start in the place their time earned. For the first time since 2017, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) failed to make it out of Q1 leaving him in sixteenth place. During Q2, Mick Schumacher (Haas) was making lap times that would put him into Q3 but a horrible crash into the wall would end his run. Sergio Pérez (RedBull) would end the session with the fastest time. This would be his first pole position in his F1 career.
Out of the 20 drivers on the grid, 13 would make it to the finish line. Mick Schumacher (Haas) sat out the race following his crash in qualifying. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) would also not make it to the starting line after his car failed before the formation lap. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) would hit the wall on lap 17 forcing him out of the race. And more DNFs would come around lap 37 with Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) and Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) would all be forced to retire their cars. Finally, after a collision with another car, Alex Albon (Williams) was unable to finish the race.
Ferrari would have another outstanding weekend, with Charles Leclerc taking second and Carlos Sainz taking third. But all eyes were on the reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen who took the lead from Leclere in the last few laps. Mclaren would bring home their first points of the season despite having to retire one car. Lando Norris would earn six points with his seventh-place finish. After his less than stellar qualifying run, Lewis Hamilton was just looking to finish in the points. He would end the race in tenth place, earning him one point.
Also in F1 news, Las Vegas has been added to the 2023 race calendar. The race is set to take place on Thanksgiving weekend. This will be the third U.S.-based race on the calendar following Austin, Texas and Miami, Florida. In addition, F1 executives have shown interest in adding New York City as a fourth race.
Next up on the calendar, the teams will head to Australia. This will be the first time since 2019 that a race has been completed here as the 2020 Grand Prix was canceled due to COVID-19 and protocols did not allow the sport to travel to the country in 2021. If you’re a night owl, you can catch this race on April 10 at 1 a.m. EST on ESPN.
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