F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 live: Highlights and analysis as Verstappen starts from pole position for opening race
Current Drivers’ World Champion Max Verstappen will be looking to convert his pole position into a win at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix to kick off his title defense in style.
The Dutchman proved too difficult to crash on Saturday as he put his Red Bull to the top of the timesheets, closely followed by teammate Sergio Perez.
Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be looking to move quickly from P3 and P4 respectively, particularly Leclerc who saved an extra set of fresh soft tires for the race after opting not to compete in Q3 Return track to complete a second flying lap.
Also keep an eye out for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain International Circuit. The wily veteran will start the race from P5 and, having already been fastest in both FP2 and FP3 this weekend, is aiming for only a second podium finish after the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix.
MORE: F1 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix: predictions, odds, betting tips and best bets for the first Formula 1 race
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 Live Updates, Highlights: How It Happens
1 hour until lights out: Some news from the Ferrari garage and it sounds like Leclerc has already had to take a new energy storage for this race.
There is no penalty this time, but each driver is only allowed two of those free changes all season, so it’s a very early setback for the title hopes.
1 hour and 30 minutes until 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 will start from pole after setting the perfect lap in yesterday’s qualifying session and holding off the pressure from teammate Perez, who starts from P2. The Ferrari duo starts close behind, while title hopeful Leclerc saves an extra set of soft tires for the race after setting just one flying lap in Q3 on Saturday.
It was quite a tactical move by the Italian team so we’ll have to see if it paid off today.
Starting grid Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
| position | driver |
| 1 | Max Verstappen |
| 2 | Sergio Perez |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc |
| 4 | Carlo Sainz |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso |
| 6 | George Russell |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 8th | lance walk |
| 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 Magussen |
| 18 | Oskar Piastri |
| 19 | Nyck de Vries |
| 20 | Pierre Gasli |
MORE: F1 qualifying results: Max Verstappen on pole for 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix to start title defense in style
When does the F1 race start?
- Date: Sunday, March 5th
- Start time: 3pm GMT / 10am ET / 2am AEST (March 6) / 6pm local time
The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday is scheduled to start at 18:00 local time. Lights out takes place just after 3pm BST.
Below is the full schedule of the weekend’s F1 events at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
| Date | case | Time (GMT) | time (ET) | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, March 3rd | practice 1 | 11:30 a.m | 6.30 am | 22 O `clock |
| Friday, March 3rd | practice 2 | 3 pm | 10 am | 2 a.m. (March 4th) |
| Saturday, March 4th | exercise 3 | 11:30 a.m | 6.30 am | 22 O `clock |
| Saturday, March 4th | qualification | 3 pm | 10 am | 2 a.m. (March 5) |
| Sunday, March 5th | race | 3 pm | 10 am | 2 a.m. (March 6) |
What TV channel is F1 on?
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | SkySports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox sports |
Where can I live stream F1?
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live broadcast | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+ | fuboTV, TSN Direct | kayo |
How to watch Formula 1 in the USA
- TV channel: ABC; ESPN
- Live broadcast: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV
F1 fans in the US can catch all the action in 2023 when all 23 races will be broadcast live on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. For Spanish-speaking viewers, there is live coverage on ESPN Deportes, although ESPNews and ESPNU will also show some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.
In addition to the official F1 TV service, the action can be streamed live with subscriptions to Hulu + Live TV. Elsewhere, Sling TV will show the action, as will FuboTV in the US.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live broadcast: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will broadcast the races in English. For those looking for French language broadcasts, RDS is here for you.
The races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the UK
- TV channel: SkySports F1
- Live broadcast: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the UK can follow all the F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. Viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023 can watch it via the Sky Go app if they’re already a subscriber, or they can buy a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; channel 10
- Live broadcast: kayo
Fox Sports will broadcast all races in Australia for the 2023 season.