Bahrain GP: Red Bull favourites but F1 could have fresh pecking order before first race, live on Sky Sports

Formula 1 is likely to enter the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in a mixed pecking order – and you can watch all the action live on Sky Sports F1 as the 2023 campaign full of twists and turns gets underway.

Three months after the last driver left the wheel to close the 2022 season, F1 is back and Sky Sports F1 is your home for all 23 races, starting with the opening from Friday’s practice to Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Qualifying (Saturday) and the race (Sunday) both go live at 3pm, with an extensive build-up of the expert team in Bahrain.

At the same Sakhir circuit where F1 2023 pre-season kicked off last week, there was a paddock consensus on who to beat as a team and driver: Red Bull, and Max Verstappen.

Fresh off a title-winning campaign that has seen them claim 17 of 22 races, Red Bull look set to go further with their 2023 car while Verstappen, who sealed a record 15 victories last year, has not been his usual self in the chase. third straight drivers’ title.

“Our goal is to win this weekend and then win the championship,” Verstappen said. “We’re good.”

From three days of testing, Ferrari looked like the only team capable of challenging Red Bull’s raw pace, although the Scuderia had a new car concept and there were bound to be early teething problems.

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Sergio Perez set the fastest test on C4 tires at Red Bull

“I think we have work to do,” said Charles Leclerc, who finished second behind Verstappen last season. “Red Bull looks very strong.”

Behind them, the picture seems less clear, with many changes.

Mercedes, who Lewis Hamilton is hoping to achieve a record eighth championship this year, have yet to make the progress they want after a below-par 2022, while Aston Martin have been pre-season darlings and could be in the mix. the usual top three.

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Ted Kravitz is in the paddock ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season as he analyzes key moments from the third and final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain

Mercedes and McLaren in trouble? Predict the pecking order

Ahead of the opener, our Sky Sports F1 pundits are out in Bahrain offering their own verdict on the…

Sky Sports F1 Ted Kravitz offers pecking-order reasons

“On the 10th, I think Williams. I think it’s a car that didn’t have any problems last year but it still lacks some of the aero sophistication that we read about in other cars around the world. Alex Albon is going to do amazing things, Logan Sargeant looks like a proper Formula 1 driver, but I still think he’s a bit behind.

There is a group of Haas, McLaren and Alfa Romeo at the front AlphaTauri we think. AlphaTauri says we don’t have a very fast car, but it’s always reliable and we always have some fast drivers. On the day, they can send a quick time. I think AlphaTauri is ahead of Williams, probably by a fair amount and not far behind those in front of them.

“Next, it all depends on how bad you think McLaren are doing it. They have gone in different directions, the car is not fast but McLaren says it will be fast. At the moment, there is a danger that McLaren could be the eighth fastest team. It’s really dangerous.

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Ted Kravitz ranks the likely F1 teams from worst to best after this year’s tests

“Haas thinks it can be faster than McLaren, like Alfa Romeo. So McLaren really has a target on its back, the team takes advantage when they are in trouble.

“McLaren may have missed some targets, but that doesn’t mean they can’t reach their targets if they know better cars and bring some upgrades, which will unlock their potential. Lando Norris said that there are good things to come but at the moment I McLaren are definitely on the back foot and they will leave here, along with Mercedes, thinking they should be better.

“I think Haas just in front Alfa Romeo District. They have two good drivers there, it’s a solid car, and I think it’s a package that seems to be more sorted in its own head than Alfa Romeo. It is a very big change, Alfa Romeo has made.

“Then we have an enigma Alpine. On that day, he could be fifth but could easily drop to sixth or seventh. That they have two very suitable drivers. They were never separated for more than half a second. As long as they can constructively, I think they will be solidly fifth at the moment.

“I’m going to be a bit ignorant and talk Aston Martin the third and Mercedes fourth time now. I have an Aston Martin in front and maybe even closer to a Ferrari. That has to do with Fernando Alonso’s race.

“At the Bahrain GP on Saturday [long runs] like this, it should be Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso on the podium before the Ferraris and Mercedes. Aston Martin has Red Bull worried from Day One, Adrian Newey (Red Bull’s chief technical officer) mentioned that he is in the team that he is concerned, the car is good, it has a good idea.

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Anthony Davidson analyzes Lewis Hamilton’s performance in the new Mercedes W14 during testing

“We have to see a big step from Mercedes in the next few days to be third. When Lewis Hamilton came out and said that the porpoising is gone but some of the ‘balance limits’ of last year’s car are still there. , I don’t believe it. I think, wait, this is a Mercedes that is supposed to be ok! But they are still having the problems they had last year.

“Ferrari the next one. Charles Leclerc will be thinking, ‘Red Bull have got a light chassis, I may not have a qualifying advantage, where will my race advantage come from?’ There Ferrari had a test, tire degradation was not good.

“Ferrari has a lot of work to do in qualifying, and the race. At the moment, both sides have been a bit dominated by Red Bull.

“I think the only reason Red Bull didn’t dominate qualifying the way Ferrari did at the beginning of last year is because last year’s car was overweight. It’s not a problem they have this year.”

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David Croft reckons Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris will question Mercedes and McLaren over their team’s performance during testing.

Bahrain GP schedule live Sky Sports F1

Thursday
12.30: Driver Press Conference

Friday
7.50am: Exercise F3
9.00: Exercise F2
11am: Bahrain GP Practice One (session starts at 11.30am)
13: F3 Qualifying
14.45: Bahrain GP Practice Two (session starts at 15.00)
16.25: Qualifying F2
17:00: F1 Event: Bahrain

Saturday
09.10: F3 Sprint Race
11.15am: Bahrain GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
13.10: Sprint race F2
14.10: Bahrain GP Qualification Build-up
3pm: BAHRAIN GP qualifies
16.30: Ted’s Qualification Notebook

Week
8.45am: F3 Feature Race
10.15: F2 Feature Race
13.30: Grand Prix Sunday Bahrain GP Build-up
3pm: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
5pm: Checkered flag: Bahrain GP reaction

Formula 1 is back! Watch the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Track action begins on Friday while Sunday’s races begin at 3 p.m. Get Sky Sports