Five things to know ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix

Formula 1 is back! We’re all set to get the biggest-ever F1 season underway this weekend in Bahrain, with Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant behind the wheel of our latest challenger, the FW45.

Are you all set for this weekend’s race? If not, here are five things you should know ahead of Sunday’s 57-lap Grand Prix.

It all gets underway at the Bahrain International Circuit, hosting the opening round of the season for the fifth time. Bahrain itself now sits fifth on the list of most opening rounds hosted, tied with Monaco and behind only Australia, Argentina, Brazil and South Africa.

By the time the lights go out and Sunday’s Grand Prix gets underway, it will have been eight days since pre-season testing concluded, where all the teams will have gained a good understanding of how their machines fare on this very circuit.

However, despite collectively completing over 21,000km of running (that’s over half the circumference of the earth), there are still plenty of unknowns that lay ahead this weekend.

Besides, the three days of testing was split between drivers equally at nine of the 10 teams in the paddock, meaning the majority of the field only had 1.5 days on track each – there’s still lots of learning to be done.

Though testing might have given us an insight into how each team is looking, we’ll only truly know how the order will look for the season ahead in Saturday’s qualifying.

There will be no talk of sandbagging or glory runs when all 20 drivers head out to race the stopwatch and lock in the best grid spot possible for Sunday’s race.

The media and fans alike will finally be able to mull over where everyone stands, who’s looking strong and who still has work to be done.

Alex begins his sophomore year with Williams Racing, aiming to build on his experiences of 2022 that saw him score points on four occasions.

The Thai racer finished just outside the top 10 on countless occasions last season, and he’ll be aiming to be in the right places to pick up points again in 2023.

Our No23 is starting his fourth season in the sport and remains highly regarded throughout the paddock; Albono is relishing the chance to lead this team back up the standings.

The wait is finally over for Logan! Three months after securing his progression from Formula 2 to the pinnacle of motorsport, the Floridian will make his Grand Prix debut this weekend.

In doing so, he’ll become the first racer from the USA to compete in F1 since Alexander Rossi competed for Manor in 2015, and the first permanent American on the grid since Toro Rosso’s Scott Speed in 2006-07.

All of Logan’s childhood dreams will be realised when those lights go out in Bahrain on Sunday. His move across the Atlantic as a teenager will all become worth it.

Sarge enjoyed a solid pre-season test, getting to grips with our FW45 and completing the most laps of anybody last Friday, but now it’s all about the racing.

The 2023 Bahrain GP will be the earliest opening round to an F1 season in over two decades when the 2002 Australian GP was held on March 3rd.

We are embarking on the longest season in the history of our sport, with 23 Grands Prix scheduled to take us across five continents before the final race on November 26th.

In that time there will be six double headers and two triple headers, so there will be plenty of action to bring you across the next nine months.

Follow all the latest news and insights at Williams Racing by downloading our official app, and join us for exclusive coverage of each race in our live blog.