Opinion: Forget Red Bull and find happiness

The 2023 season kicked off with an action-packed Bahrain Grand Prix. Although there was no clear winner, the battles behind the leaders were a real treat for spectators.

Congratulations to Max Verstappen and Red Bull: the victory was as inevitable as it was unsurprising, and the broadcast team wisely chose to focus on other things to spare us a grimace on Sunday evening. The real story belongs to the 41-year-old veteran who still looks like a hungry wolf: Fernando Alonso. He fought his way onto the podium behind the two Red Bull cars, turning what could have been a boring Grand Prix into an event worth watching. Aston Martin's resurgence added a touch of color to an otherwise predictable race. While the hype surrounding the team did not translate into a victory, it was enough to keep fans interested. The real suspense unfolded when “Grandpa Fernand” missed his start but then overtook George Russell thanks to a clever strategy, before overtaking Lewis Hamilton in a move that was more poetry than pure speed. Hamilton, meanwhile, may need to strengthen his defense: against Pérez, Verstappen, or Leclerc, an attack like Alonso's would have been stopped in its tracks, but against the Spaniard, it succeeded effortlessly. Aston Martin's performance was remarkable in itself. Unlike Sebastian Vettel's surprise in Baku in 2021, the green car didn't need an accident to shine; it simply drove well. Nevertheless, the British team's lofty ambitions may seem naive after a series of disappointing seasons. In the meantime, three teams still promise the kind of battles we love: Ferrari, fast in qualifying but struggling to convert that speed into race results; Mercedes, which is not as far off the pace as many think; and Aston Martin, provided Lance Stroll recovers quickly from his broken wrist. If Red Bull remains untouchable from the start, the championship could turn into a procession reminiscent of the dark days of Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes. But if we keep our eyes on the challengers behind Verstappen, the weekends will remain exciting. And if Red Bull were to be caught off guard during the season, the surprise would make the title race all the more thrilling. Let's remain hopeful, but cautious in our expectations: the rest of the field still has a lot to offer.