After a three and a half month off-season Formula 1 finally returns this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix kicking off the 2023 season.
Two-time defending champion Max Verstappen is hot favourite for the title with New Zealand bookmakers expecting him to better Charles Leclerc over the course of the campaign.
Mercedes are also expected to be back in the hunt after a tough 2022, the porpoising issues which plagued them last year now visibly under control following pre-season testing.
Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton is tipped with a chance of title success as is his teammate George Russell.
As always, the opening round of the season offers an insight to the true performance of each car following on from pre-season testing.
The battle for the mid-field is an area which was closely followed during said testing. Last season it was McLaren against Alpine for fourth on the ladder however this year a number of other teams have thrown their hat into the ring and look likely to move up the leaderboard.
That includes Alfa Romeo, who were fastest on Day 2 of testing, and Aston Martin whilst Williams and Haas also appear to have made gains.
It may be a tougher year for McLaren who are reportedly struggling with pace. Frustrations were evident in Lando Norris who was sighted punching a wall during testing by popular F1 journalist Will Buxton.
Lance Stroll may not make the grid for the season-opener following a biking accident which is rumoured to have caused damage to his right hand and wrist. Aston Martin have remained tight lipped on the situation but called on Brazilian Felipe Drugovich to stand in during testing.
The rumour-mill went into overdrive over the weekend about a potential Sebastian Vettel return for the race should Stroll not be fit, however Aston Martin quickly shut that down to confirm Drugovich for the race if Stroll is not fit.
Regardless of who drives, they’ll partner Fernando Alonso in his 356th start in the sport. Two podiums this year will see Alonso join an exclusive club of drivers who have finished on the podium 100 times in their career.
The battle of the rookies is also expected to thrill with American Logan Sargeant and Australian Oscar Piastri making their race-weekend debuts for Williams and McLaren respectively. Nyck De Vries will also participate in the full racing calendar following a P9 finish at Monza last year when he stood in for an ill Alex Albon at Williams.
Nico Hulkenberg also makes a highly anticipated return to the series. The Danish driver has competed in 181 Grand Prix but is yet to finish on the podium. He’s driving for Haas who are also yet to score a podium in the sport but look to have improved during the off-season.
It’s just a matter of days before we see how teams really fare when the Bahrain Grand Prix gets underway at 4am on Monday morning NZ time.
Header Image: F1
