So the saying goes, that if you start a Formula 1 season well, you're more than likely to end up being a major championship player, and more often than not, bring the trophy home.
Indeed, all but one of Michael Schumacher's seven championships (2003 aside) were secured after the German won the opening round of the season.
However, in recent years, this has not been the case with the last driver to win both the opening Grand Prix and walk away with the World Championship trophy Nico Rosberg in 2016.
Since then, an unfortunate pattern developed with the winner of the opening round going onto finish second in the championship standings, meaning the winner of the Bahrain Grand Prix is unlikely to be tasting glory in 2023...
F1 winners of the opening race since 2017
| Season | Race | Winner | Championship standing | World Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Australia | Sebastian Vettel | 2nd | Lewis Hamilton |
| 2018 | Australia | Sebastian Vettel | 2nd | Lewis Hamilton |
| 2019 | Australia | Valtteri Bottas | 2nd | Lewis Hamilton |
| 2020 | Austria | Valtteri Bottas | 2nd | Lewis Hamilton |
| 2021 | Bahrain | Lewis Hamilton | 2nd | Max Verstappen |
| 2022 | Bahrain | Charles Leclerc | 2nd | Max Verstappen |
P2 is the place to finish
Since Rosberg's win, the driver who finishes runner-up in the opening race has gone onto win the title in four of the six seasons.
Lewis Hamilton was runner-up in 2017-19, with Max Verstappen taking the second step on the podium after finishing behind the Mercedes at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix.
In 2020, Charles Leclerc took second place in the delayed opener in Austria, after Hamilton copped a five-second time penalty which demoted him from second to fourth, while Carlos Sainz was runner-up at the '22 opener in Bahrain.
Also interesting:
Ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, RacingNews365.com journalists Dieter Rencken and Michael Butterworth analyse where each of the F1 teams stands after pre-season testing.
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
F1 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix RN365 News dossier
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!