As Alonso becomes the first driver to embark on a 20th F1 season, Verstappen could move up the list of most wins with a single team and two drivers make their debut. Here are the milestones and the records which could be broken at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix!
THE 2023 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX MILESTONES
The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix will be the 1,080th World Championship event in Formula 1 history.
This will be the 20th time that Formula 1 has raced in Bahrain. It will be the 20th Grand Prix held at Bahrain International Circuit. The venue has hosted the Bahrain Grand Prix 18 times so far, plus the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020.
This will be the 19th Bahrain Grand Prix since the event was first held in 2004.
At the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Bahrain will become the 19th nation to have hosted 20 Formula 1 races.
Hosting the season-opening race for the fifth time, Bahrain International Circuit will equal Circuit de Monaco as the venue to have hosted the first race of the Formula 1 season on the fifth-most occasions. READ MORE: F1 Season Opening Races in Statistics.
With the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix taking place on March 5, this is the earliest date on which a Formula 1 season has started since 2002, when the season-opening Australian Grand Prix was held on March 3.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will make their 16th appearance at Bahrain International Circuit at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix – one short of Kimi Raikkonen’s record of 17 outings at the track.
The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix marks Aston Martin’s 50th appearance in Formula 1.
The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix will be the second round of the World Championship to be held on March 5. The only race previously held on this date is the 1977 South African Grand Prix.
THREE ROOKIES ON THE GRID
Logan Sargeant and Oscar Piastri both make their Formula 1 debuts at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, while Nyck de Vries begins his first full F1 season with AlphaTauri.
Oscar Piastri will become the 14th Australian driver to race in Formula 1 and makes this the 340th consecutive race which an Australian driver has started.
Logan Sargeant becomes the first American to start a Formula 1 race since Alexander Rossi at the 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix. Read more: The New F1 Driver Numbers for 2023.
Logan Sargeant will be the first Williams driver to race in car number 2 since Heinz-Harald Frentzen at the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix.
ALONSO’S 20th F1 SEASON
At the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso becomes the first driver to embark on his 20th Formula 1 season.
With Oscar Piastri on the grid at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Alonso becomes the first driver to race against a competitor who was born after his Formula 1 debut. Piastri was born one month after Alonso’s debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.
If Fernando Alonso wins any race this season, he will become the oldest driver to win a Grand Prix since Jack Brabham at the 1970 South African Grand Prix. Brabham won that race at the age of 43 years, 11 months and 5 days.
THE FIRST RICCIARDO-LESS GRID IN ALMOST 12 YEARS
Daniel Ricciardo will not be on the grid at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, making this the first race since the 2011 European Grand Prix which the Australian will not start. It ends the second-longest streak of consecutive race starts in Formula 1 history.
With Daniel Ricciardo not on the grid, the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix is the first F1 race which car number 3 will not start since the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix and the first F1 race which no driver will enter in car number 3 since the 1984 Portuguese Grand Prix.
At the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton will equal Daniel Ricciardo as the drivers to have made the most starts in a single car number. This will be Bottas and Hamilton’s 182nd start with their respective car numbers.
CAN ANYONE STOP VERSTAPPEN IN 2023?
Max Verstappen has never previously won at Bahrain International Circuit. Should he do so this weekend, it will become the 22nd circuit at which he has taken victory. It would see him equal Alain Prost as the driver to have won at the third most circuits in Formula 1.
A victory for Max Verstappen would make him the 14th driver to have won in eight Formula 1 seasons. Verstappen has won at least one race in every season since 2016. He would be only the sixth to have won in eight consecutive years.
Should Max Verstappen take victory, it would be his 36th win with Red Bull. That would see him overtake Ayrton Senna as the driver to have won the fourth most races with a single team. Senna won 35 races with McLaren.
Verstappen could also equal Senna’s tally of wins in car number 1 this weekend. Verstappen has won 15 races with the car number so far, while Senna took 16 wins in car number 1 during his career.
A top ten finish for Max Verstappen would make this the ninth time that a driver has scored in 20 consecutive races.
DOES HAMILTON’S COMEBACK START HERE?
Victory for Lewis Hamilton would see car number 44 equal car number 2 as the car number to have taken the third most wins in Formula 1.
A victory for Lewis Hamilton at any race in 2023 would see him move into the top 20 of the oldest drivers to win a Grand Prix in Formula 1. He would overtake Damon Hill as the third-oldest British driver to have won a Grand Prix.
If Lewis Hamilton wins any race this year, he’ll overtake Kimi Raikkonen as the driver to have had the longest gap between his first and last Grand Prix victories. He’d also be the first driver to have won after the 300th race of his career. Fernando Alonso would break the record if he were to take victory.
A victory for Lewis Hamilton would make him the first driver to have won in 16 different Formula 1 seasons. 2022 is the only season during his career in which Hamilton has not taken a victory.
If Lewis Hamilton finishes in the points at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, he’d equal Jenson Button as the driver to have scored points in the most consecutive seasons. Button scored in all 17 seasons between 2000 and 2016.
A top three finish for Lewis Hamilton would make him the first driver to have recorded a podium finish in 17 different Formula 1 seasons.
If Lewis Hamilton leads a lap, he would become the first driver to have led a lap in 17 Formula 1 seasons. That would see him overtake Michael Schumacher at the top of the list – a record which the German has held since 2004.
ARE MERCEDES BACK IN THE FIGHT?
A victory for Mercedes would make this the 12th consecutive season in which the team has won a race. They would be only the third team to win in 12 consecutive seasons, after Ferrari (1994-2013) and McLaren (1981-1993).
Pole position for Mercedes would see them become only the second team, after Ferrari between 1994 and 2008, to have taken pole positions in 12 consecutive seasons.
Victory for a Mercedes-powered car would see them become only the third engine manufacturer to have won in 17 consecutive Formula 1 seasons. The only other manufacturers to have done so are Ferrari (20 seasons, between 1994-2013) and Ford Cosworth (17 seasons, between 1967-1983).
A fastest lap for a Mercedes-powered car would see them become the second engine manufacturer to have powered 200 fastest laps in Formula 1. Ferrari are the only other engine manufacturer to have reached the milestone, having done so at the 2007 European Grand Prix.
If three Mercedes-powered cars finish on the podium, Mercedes will equal Renault’s record tally of seventeen podium lockouts for an engine manufacturer.
THE FORMULA 1 RECORDS TO BREAK
A win for Red Bull or Mercedes would make 2023 the 14th season in which either of those teams have taken a victory. They’d equal Brabham as the team to have won in the fifth-most seasons.
If both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finish on the podium, Ferrari will become the first team to record 800 podium finishes.
A podium finish for Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri would make 2023 the 50th season in which a McLaren driver has finished on the podium.
If a British driver takes pole position at any race in 2023, it would be the 20th consecutive season in which a British driver has taken pole. It would be a new record for most consecutive seasons in which a nation has taken a pole position, overtaking Britain’s long-standing record of 19 seasons with a pole position between 1955 and 1973.
A fifth place finish for Fernando Alonso would see him equal Jenson Button for the most fifth place finishes in Formula 1. Button finished fifth on 27 occasions during his career.
An eighth place finish for Nico Hulkenberg or Carlos Sainz would see them equal Jenson Button as the driver with the most eighth place finishes in Formula 1. Button recorded his 20th and final eighth place finish at the 2016 German Grand Prix.
A points finish for Nico Hulkenberg would see Germany equal France for the third longest streak of seasons in which a nation has scored points. German drivers have scored at least one point in every season since 1991.
If Logan Sargeant picks up two points this weekend, the United States would become the tenth nation to have scored 1,000 points in Formula 1.
A top ten finish for Yuki Tsunoda this weekend will see him overtake Takuma Sato as the Japanese driver to have scored the second-most points in Formula 1. Kamui Kobayashi is the Japanese driver to have scored the most points, with 125.
If Nico Hulkenberg lines up seventh on the grid, he’ll equal Fernando Alonso for most seventh places on the grid. Alonso could extend the record to 27.
If Lance Stroll out-scores Alex Albon by eight points, he’ll overtake him for sixth in the list of most points scored without a victory.
A 14th place finish for Lance Stroll would see him set a new record for the most 14th place finishes in Formula 1. He currently shares the record with Pastor Maldonado.
2023 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX: RECORDS TO BREAK
Lewis Hamilton could extend his record of wins at Bahrain International Circuit to six this weekend. While no driver can equal his record tally, Fernando Alonso could become only the third driver – after Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel – to secure four wins at the track.
A win for Sergio Perez or Charles Leclerc would see them become the eighth driver to have taken multiple victories at Bahrain International Circuit.
Ferrari currently hold the record for most Bahrain Grand Prix victories, with seven. They’ve always held or shared the record for most wins in Bahrain. Their tally could be equalled by Mercedes this weekend.
Victory for Charles Leclerc would make this the seventh time that a driver has taken consecutive wins in Bahrain. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are the only previous drivers to have done so.
Ferrari and Mercedes are currently tied as the teams with the most podium finishes at the Sakhir circuit. Either team could set a new record at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix.
If a team other than Mercedes or Ferrari win the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, this would be the first time that four different teams have won four successive races in Bahrain.
A fastest lap for Valtteri Bottas or Charles Leclerc would see them equal Nico Rosberg’s record of most fastest laps in Bahrain. He set the fastest lap three times at Bahrain International Circuit.
Should Mercedes score 23 points over the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, they will become the first team to have scored 400 points at this track.
Sebastian Vettel currently holds the record for most laps led at Bahrain International Circuit. If Lewis Hamilton leads 24 laps of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, he’ll overtake Vettel as the driver to have led the most laps at the track.
If Fernando Alonso or Charles Leclerc lead four laps of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, they’ll become the fourth driver to have led 100 laps at Bahrain International Circuit. George Russell could beat them to it, if he leads 41 laps of the race.
Mercedes could overtake Ferrari as the team to have led the most laps at Bahrain International Circuit. They’ll only do so if they lead 51 laps of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Ferrari and McLaren are likely to join Williams as the second and third teams to have raced 2,000 laps in Bahrain. Ferrari will do so if their drivers complete seven laps between them, while McLaren’s drivers need to complete 47 laps to join the club.
A fourth place finish for Lando Norris would see him overtake Daniel Ricciardo and Nick Heidfeld as the driver to have finished fourth on the most occasions at Bahrain International Circuit.
A top ten finish for Valtteri Bottas at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix will make him the fourth driver to have scored in Bahrain on ten occasions. He’d become the sixth driver to record ten top ten finishes at the venue.
Should Max Verstappen fail to finish the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, he’ll equal Jenson Button as the driver to have recorded the most retirements at Bahrain International Circuit. Button retired here six times in his career. In addition, he recorded a DNS in 2015.
Pierre Gasly has failed to finish the last two races at Bahrain International Circuit. If he fails to finish the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, he’ll equal Jenson Button and Carlos Sainz as the drivers to have recorded the most consecutive non-finishes in Bahrain.
If Lewis Hamilton reaches the chequered flag at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, he’ll set a new record for most finishes at Bahrain International Circuit. Hamilton is currently tied with Kimi Raikkonen on 15 finishes at the venue. If Hamilton fails to finish, Fernando Alonso can equal the existing record.
Both Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu are in a group of just four drivers who’ve scored on every appearance at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Paul di Resta and Stoffel Vandoorne are the other drivers in the group. Both Tsunoda and Zhou will be keen to stay in the group this weekend, while Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant have the opportunity to join them.
A win for a British driver at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix would see Britain equal Germany as the most successful nation at Bahrain International Circuit. German drivers have won here on six occasions.
If Valtteri Bottas finishes on the podium with no British drivers joining him, Finland will equal Britain as the nation with the most podium finishes at Bahrain International Circuit.
Should a driver other than Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc win the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, it would be the second time that four successive races at Bahrain International Circuit have been won by four different drivers. It also happened at the four Bahrain Grands Prix held between 2008 and 2012.
2023 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX: QUALIFYING RECORDS
Lewis Hamilton currently shares the record for most Bahrain Grand Prix pole positions with Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton could set a new outright record this weekend, while Valtteri Bottas or Charles Leclerc could equal the existing record.
Mercedes have taken the most poles at Bahrain International Circuit, with seven. Ferrari can equal the record at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix. Similarly, Ferrari can equal Mercedes as the most successful engine manufacturer in qualifying at the track.
Pole position for Charles Leclerc would see him become the fourth driver – after Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton – to have taken consecutive poles at Bahrain International Circuit.
If a team other than Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari take pole position, this would be the second time that four different teams have taken pole at four consecutive races in Bahrain. The only other time this has happened was between 2007 and 2010.
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to maintain his 100% Q3 appearance record in Bahrain. He’s one of only four drivers to reach Q3 on every appearance at the track – along with Christian Klien, Juan Pablo Montoya and Paul di Resta.
A Q2 elimination for Nico Hulkenberg would see him equal Sergio Perez as the driver to have recorded the most Q2 exits at Bahrain Inernational Circuit. Perez himself could extend the record.
Kevin Magnussen will want to avoid a Q1 exit at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix. If he’s out in Q1, he’ll set a new record as the driver with the most Q1 eliminations in Bahrain.
If either McLaren driver is eliminated in Q1, it would be the team’s 80th Q1 exit in Formula 1.
