Bahrain: post-race ramble 2023
I feel unreasonably aggrieved at the Albon bet failing. Bit of a weird feeling, actually, as the other two bets came off.
Before the race Leclerc’s Ferrari looked iffy so various parts were changed. As expected, he had fresh softs, most others had old softs, and Magnussen had the hard tyre on.
Off the line Perez started poorly and did well to only lose a place to Leclerc rather than both Ferraris. Hamilton passed his team mate and got past Alonso too, who fell behind both Mercedes thanks to a whack from Stroll (though given how things turned out I suspect he’ll be quick to forgive the Canadian. Probably).
Verstappen then did what was feared and effortlessly drove off into the distance. Unless Red Bull cock up the development race they’ll get both titles this year.
Leclerc was not too far back and Perez was able to stay with him, the pair getting away from Sainz who was slowly getting away from the Mercedes and Alonso.
Towards the end of the initial soft stint the Aston Martin’s tyre kindness paid dividends as Alonso was miles faster than Russell, who defended valiantly but had to succumb to the inevitable. Not the last pass Alonso would make this race.
Then we entered something of a phony war. It all really got going after the second scheduled stop. Alonso was close to Hamilton, with fresher hard tyres, and he pushed them immediately. This narrowed the gap and then eliminated it when, after a very tasty on-track battle the wily Alonso proved victorious and set about catching and passing Sainz. This was for the podium, as Leclerc, who had seemed nailed on for the final spot on it had encountered a gremlin that caused his car to die. Parking sensibly, he was able to ensure only a VSC was needed, but some of the lower points chaps pitted cheaply for fresh rubber.
It seemed Hamilton would also gobble up Sainz but, surprisingly, the Ferrari was able to resist this and the Briton had to make do with 5th. A little further back, there was more good news for Aston Martin and bad for Mercedes as Stroll, far exceeding my expectations given his injury, managed to pass Russell and retain 6th.
Bottas had enjoyed a very good start and did well to see off a charging Gasly, with Albon snagging the final point ahead of Tsunoda.
Worth also remarking the McLaren was very unreliable, with one retirement (Piastri) and Norris suffering an ongoing problem that necessitated multiple extra pit stops.
Ocon had a comedy of errors. He got a 5s penalty for incorrectly placing his car in its grid slot, then, because a mechanic started work early when he was meant to serve the penalty, Ocon got a 10s penalty. And then he got a 15s penalty for speeding in the pit lane for serving that. Ultimately, he retired the car.
After the last round of scheduled pit stops Albon was right ahead of Gasly and Tsunoda, all within range of DRS. However, the Thai driver was able to keep the Frenchman at bay and it all looked good. But when Leclerc’s Ferrari died, the VSC meant that bunch of drivers all pitted. On new softs, the Alpine was a beast transformed, not merely passing Albon but storming off into the distance and never looking catchable. Perplexing. And annoying.
The Sainz bet I felt was destined to fail, after he was swooped upon by Alonso. Hamilton got within DRS and was very close, but the younger Spaniard held the Briton at bay, and then, gradually, broke DRS and built up a little gap. Good driving under pressure by Sainz to retain 4th place.
My early bet on Alonso for a podium at 3.8 came off, but that was down to luck more than judgement. Leclerc’s Ferrari dying was yet more misfortune for the Monegasque and the prime beneficiary was Alonso (with Gasly also doing well out of it, further down the order).
So, green overall, with two of three bets coming off. The bad luck with Albon was mostly made good by the reverse with Alonso. As I said, feeling strangely aggrieved despite a good start to the season. I also got the call on not backing Perez each way wrong.
The Aston Martin was nicer to its tyres than any frontrunner but Red Bull’s pace advantage more than negates that. Ferrari and McLaren looking iffy when it comes to reliability, and the Alpine was bizarrely impressive in Gasly’s hands on fresh soft tyres.
Saudi Arabia is in a fortnight.
Morris Dancer
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