Is Max Verstappen already the 2023 F1 champion?

It feels like it given Red Bull’s masterclass in Bahrain, but it's not guaranteed.

Max Verstappen was crushingly dominant in Bahrain. There are no two ways about it.

He won with a 12-second gap to teammate Sergio Perez and, despite having his engine turned down near the end, he was almost 40 seconds ahead of 3rd-placed Fernando Alonso.

The result has led to a lot of chatter about whether this is the new norm. Are Red Bull and Verstappen so much better than everyone else that they’re just going to win everything?

If you’re thinking “yes” - that would be a premature answer. Don’t get me wrong - Red Bull might be untouchable throughout 2023, but after just one race it’s far from guaranteed.

Remember, Bahrain is an outlier compared to other F1 tracks. It’s a night race that takes place in a desert. That’s unique - and it may have skewed the running order.

Experienced F1 journalist Mark Hughes seemed to agree. Writing for The Race, he said Red Bull’s Bahrain performance might “turn out to be at the extreme end of [their] domination”.

In short, Hughes explained that Red Bull were able to handle a unique setup challenge in Bahrain better than anyone else, but the advantage they gained from this is probably going to be lost at other races.

2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button also reckons Red Bull won’t be dominant.

“It's not a walk in the park for Red Bull and Max,” he told Motorsport.com.

Button questioned how it would be “an easy championship” for Red Bull when F1’s 2023 cars have, so far, only raced in Bahrain.

“I still think we're going to have some very, very close fights,” Button said.

Red Bull’s leaders also aren’t getting carried away.

Team boss Christian Horner told Sky Sports he’s reserving his judgment on whether they’re dominant, while technical chief Adrian Newey told the F1 Nation podcast that Red Bull needs to “keep our feet in the ground”.

Max Verstappen also said post-race in Bahrain: “I do expect in terms of race pace, that everyone is closer in [the next race].”

Meanwhile, another hurdle likely to hold Red Bull back is their penalty for breaking the cost cap back in 2021.

That penalty has left them with less time to test new parts. Horner said as a consequence, Red Bull now has to be “very selective and extremely efficient” with in-season development.

It’s certainly an opportunity for Ferrari and Aston Martin to catch up as the season goes on.

But at the end of the day, the absolute key thing to keep in mind right now is time.

There’s only been one race in 2023. There are still 22 to go.

In 2022 the opening race was dominated by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc - and that definitely did not lead to greater things.

Or perhaps consider the 2016 season, when Nico Rosberg won the first four races. While Rosberg did win the 2016 championship, he definitely didn’t do it with a comfortable margin.

In essence, so much can change during a season.

So 2023 isn’t Red Bull’s just yet.

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Thanks for reading! This is your friendly reminder that F1 returns this weekend for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.