Bahrain F1 Grand Prix 2023 Results: Max Verstappen Dominates Field to Win Opener

Max Verstappen is picking up right where he left off.

The defending back-to-back Formula 1 champion got off to a dominant start to the 2023 season, bringing home the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.

Sergio Pérez finished in second place, while Fernando Alonso took the final spot on the podium in third in his Aston Martin debut.

Verstappen won an F1 record 15 races in 2022, putting up a jaw-dropping 454 points and winning his second championship.

Bahrain had never been kind to Verstappen in the past, as he posted more races with retirements (three) than podiums (two) at the track. This is Verstappen's first win in Bahrain and his first in a season opener.

After qualifying at the top of the field, Verstappen said he was happy with the result given the struggles in the past.

"Particularly happy, because my whole weekend up until qualifying was very difficult," Verstappen said. "I couldn't really find the comfortable balance I had in testing, and I was just struggling a lot to just get the car together, really. I went into qualifying and everything already felt a bit better but it was still not, let's say, perfect."

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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