The Second Age of Red Bull begins · RaceFans

Page one of a new novel. Pressing play on the remote. Selecting ‘new game’ from the title screen.

Just like beginning a story in any other medium, the start of a new Formula 1 championship season offers the thrill of the unknown. Nine months of sporting narrative that meanders through highs and lows, the unpredictable and the unexpected.

But as the night sky above the Bahrain International Circuit was filled by fireworks, signalling the opening chapter of the new season had come to an end, there was a sense that Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen had just spoiled the ending of this year’s championship for everyone watching. That, just like its prequel, the 2023 season will again be the story about how Red Bull are simply unstoppable.

If Red Bull’s impressive pre-season testing form was a teaser of what they were capable of, the reigning world champions locking out the front row was a clear statement of intent for the year ahead. Fresh from bolstering their trophy cabinet with their most successful year to date in 2022, Verstappen and Sergio Perez promptly seized the top two spots in qualifying, practically daring anyone to try and match them.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had been close, but the team put their race performance before their pride at the end of qualifying, electing to save a set of softs for the start over chasing Saturday glory. But behind Leclerc and team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr sat a familiar face in unfamiliar colours.

Fernando Alonso had waltzed into the Aston Martin factory to embark on his latest attempt at dragging a midfield team up to the front of the grid only to find they were already well on the way. Fifth on the grid was not a full realisation of the pace he and team mate Lance Stroll had shown prior to Sunday, but it was more than enough to put them in a genuine fight with Ferrari and Mercedes – the two cars of the latter team separating the AMR23 on the grid.

At 18.03pm local time, the five red lights hovering over the grid extinguished and the 74th world championship season officially began. Within metres of the 20 cars leaving the grid, it became clear Ferrari’s strategy to save fresh softs for Leclerc had paid dividends. As Verstappen held onto the lead, Leclerc jumped ahead of Perez and tucked up into Verstappen’s slipstream on the run to the first braking zone of the season. Exiting turn one, Verstappen led from Leclerc, Perez and Sainz, with Alonso holding fifth with…