Current world drivers’ champion Max Verstappen will look to convert his pole position into a win at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix in order to get his title defence underway in style.
The Dutchman proved too difficult to topple on Saturday as he put his Red Bull top of the time sheets with teammate Sergio Perez following closely behind.
Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will look to make a move quickly from P3 and P4 respectively, especially Leclerc who saved an extra set of fresh soft tyres for the race after deciding not to return to the track in Q3 to record a second flying lap.
Watch out for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso around the Bahrain International Circuit too. The wily veteran starts the race from P5 and after going fastest in both FP2 and FP3 already this weekend, he’ll be targeting a podium finish for only the second time since the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix.
MORE: F1 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix: Predictions, odds, betting tips and best bets for first Formula One race
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 live updates, highlights: As it happens
Lap 5: As Verstappen builds his lead, there’s a bit of a DRS train forming afterwards as Leclerc, Perez, Sainz, Russell and Hamilton fight it out.
It’s a great start towards the back for American rookie Sargeant who is up into P13 and is currently battling it out with Norris. Alfa Romeo’s Bottas also promoted himself up to P9, making three overtakes already.
Lap 2: The replays show that Stroll went into the corner way too quickly and he tagged the back of Alonso quite heavily. The Spaniard is lucky to avoid any big damage there.
Out infant, Verstappen is already streaking away and has a two second lead on Leclerc in P2.
LIGHTS OUT: We’re underway here at the Bahrain International Circuit and Verstappen manages to stay out in front but Leclerc jumps Perez into P2!
Elsewhere the two Aston Martin’s come together but both look fine to continue on for now. Alonso has been overtaken by both Russell and Hamilton in the process though which isn’t ideal for the veteran.
2 mins to lights out: We’re off for the formation lap ahead of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix. It’s finally time for Formula One to return!
We’re almost ready 🤩#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/6079TEwbs1
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 5, 2023
15 minutes to lights out: The drivers are starting to head to the front of the grid for the national anthem. Not long left now until we go racing for the first time in 2023 at the Bahrain Grand Prix!
30 minutes to lights out: Two drivers make their full F1 debut in Bahrain today.
Williams’ Logan Sargeant will start from P16 after he missed out on a Q2 run even though he posted exactly the same time as Lando Norris, whilst Oscar Piastri starts just behind in P18 for McLaren.
First day of school 😎#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/hsCyiib8rN
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 5, 2023
45 minutes to lights out: At the other end of the field and it’s new Alpine driver Pierre Gasly that starts from the back of the pack. The Frenchman finished in P16 in Q1 but then had his second lap time deleted after failing to keep within track limits.
It couldn’t have gone much worse for him then but he could still finish amongst the points today given the fact that Alpine look like they have more pace than some of the other cars starting towards the back of the grid.
1 hour to lights out: Some news out of the Ferrari garage and it sounds like Leclerc has already had to take a new energy store for this race.
There’s no penalty this time around but each driver is only allowed two of those changes free of charge all season long so that’s a very early blow for the title hopeful.
1 hour and 30 mins to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix — the opening race of the new F1 season.
Two-time world champion Verstappen starts from pole after hooking up the perfect lap in qualifying yesterday, holding off the pressure from teammate Perez who starts from P2. The Ferrari duo start just behind with title hopeful Leclerc saving an extra set of soft tyres for the race after completing just one flying lap in Q3 on Saturday.
It was quite the tactical move from the Italian team so we’ll have to see if it was worth it today..
We’re ready, our 20 heroes are ready… are you?!#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/p6oB8MFnLH
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 5, 2023
Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 starting grid
| Position | Driver |
| 1 | Max Verstappen |
| 2 | Sergio Perez |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso |
| 6 | George Russell |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 8 | Lance Stroll |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg |
| 11 | Lando Norris |
| 12 | Valtteri Bottas |
| 13 | Zhou Guanyu |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 15 | Alex Albon |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen |
| 18 | Oscar Piastri |
| 19 | Nyck de Vries |
| 20 | Pierre Gasly |
What time does the F1 race start?
- Date: Sunday, Mar 5
- Start time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m ET / 2 a.m AEST (Mar 6) / 6 p.m. local time
Sunday’s 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. local time. Lights out will take place just after 3 p.m. BST.
Below is the complete schedule for the weekend’s F1 events at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
| Date | Event | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Mar 3 | Practice 1 | 11:30 a.m. | 6:30 a.m | 10 p.m |
| Friday, Mar 3 | Practice 2 | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m | 2 a.m (Mar 4) |
| Saturday, Mar 4 | Practice 3 | 11:30 a.m. | 6:30 a.m | 10 p.m |
| Saturday, Mar 4 | Qualifying | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m | 2 a.m (Mar 5) |
| Sunday, Mar 5 | Race | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m | 2 a.m (Mar 6) |
What TV channel is the F1 on?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV Channel | Sky Sports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox Sports |
Where can I live stream F1?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live Stream | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+ | fuboTV, TSN Direct | Kayo |
How to watch Formula 1 in the US
- TV channel: ABC; ESPN
- Live stream: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV
F1 fans in the USA can catch all the action in 2023 with all 23 races set to be shown live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. For Spanish-language viewers, they can find live broadcasts on ESPN Deportes, though ESPNews and ESPNU will also show some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.
As well as on the official F1 TV service, the action can be live streamed on Hulu + Live TV with subscriptions. Elsewhere, Sling TV will also show the action, as too will FuboTV in the US.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live stream: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.
Races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you’re an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
- Live stream: Kayo
Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia for the 2023 season.