Sebastian Vettel Dominates 2023 Season Opener

Qualifying:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2	Diff.
1	18	Sebastian Vettel		1:10.474	1:10.156
2	47	Lando Norris		1:10.490	1:10.409	+0.253
3	55	Carlos Sainz, Jr.		1:11.041	1:11.136	+0.885
4	20	Kevin Magnussen		1:11.412	1:11.082	+0.926
5	23	Jules Bianchi		1:11.253	1:11.214	+1.058
6	56	Einar Ármannsson		1:11.217	1:11.380	+1.061
7	39	Sho Tsuboi		1:11.641	1:11.256	+1.100
8	88	Robert Kubica		1:12.109	1:11.294	+1.138
9	4	Robin Frijns		1:11.345	1:11.299	+1.143
10	94	Pascal Wehrlein		1:11.701	1:11.599	+1.442
11	7	Charles Leclerc		1:11.734	1:11.839	+1.578
12	63	George Russell		1:12.280	1:11.893	+1.737
13	60	Ritomo Miyata		1:12.067	1:12.030	+1.874
14	57	Dean Stoneman		1:12.063	1:12.220	+1.907
15	80	Raven Roth		1:12.921	1:12.240	+2.084
16	1	Victoria Desai		1:12.447	1:12.319	+2.163
17	33	Max Verstappen		1:12.508	1:12.334	+2.178
18	26	Robert Shwartzman		1:12.802	1:12.439	+2.283
19	29	Roger Ibe		1:12.759	1:12.620	+2.464
20	70	Pastor Maldonado		1:12.874	1:12.706	+2.550
21	98	Colton Herta		1:12.972	1:12.748	+2.592
22	10	Alessio Lorandi		1:12.866	1:12.831	+2.675
23	81	Malik Zidan		1:13.717	1:13.092	+2.936
24	95	Beitske Visser		1:13.468	1:13.393	+3.237
25	11	Terry Hawkin		1:15.640	1:15.522	+5.366
26	21	Théo Pourchaire		1:16.658	1:16.807	+6.502

Report:

Unlike many, many seasons of the past, Formula One did not wait for the spring to return to screens all over the planet. The New Zealand Grand Prix returned to its rightful place in the middle of the Northern Hemisphere winter and thus altered internal calendars for all drivers and teams.

While most cars that arrived in Taupo are nowhere near the full products we can expect to see in testing and eventually the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, a rough idea of the power level may be gained from this race.

After that, the only question remains whether anybody can even challenge Caterham once during the year. The prototype of the CT11 looks almost unstoppable and Sebastian Vettel easily won the Grand Prix from pole position.

One team that has brought mostly their full car is Andretti, who earned two points in their Formula One debut. They join ROOKIE Racing as such, Sho Tsuboi getting a great fourth place. This meant three Toyota-powered cars scored, a very good result for the motor manufacturer.

Race:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	18	Sebastian Vettel		67:15.321	1	11
2	23	Jules Bianchi		1 Lap	5	8
3	55	Carlos Sainz, Jr.		1 Lap	3	6
4	39	Sho Tsuboi		1 Lap	7	5
5	63	George Russell		1 Lap	12	4
6	20	Kevin Magnussen		1 Lap	4	3
7	80	Raven Roth		1 Lap	15	2
8	94	Pascal Wehrlein		1 Lap	10	1
9	60	Ritomo Miyata		2 Laps	13
10	10	Alessio Lorandi		2 Laps	22
11	26	Robert Shwartzman		2 Laps	18
12	33	Max Verstappen		2 Laps	17
13	4	Robin Frijns		2 Laps	9
14	57	Dean Stoneman		2 Laps	14
15	81	Malik Zidan		2 Laps	23
16	98	Colton Herta		2 Laps	21
17	29	Roger Ibe		2 Laps	19
18	7	Charles Leclerc		2 Laps	11
19	95	Beitske Visser		2 Laps	24
20	21	Théo Pourchaire		4 Laps	26
21	11	Terry Hawkin		4 Laps	25
Ret	47	Lando Norris		Accident	2
Ret	88	Robert Kubica		Motor	8
Ret	56	Einar Ármannsson		Puncture	6
Ret	70	Pastor Maldonado		Water Leak	20
Ret	1	Victoria Desai		Water Leak	16

Fastest Lap:

Lando Norris – 1:13.865

Infinite Improbability Drive Of The Race:

Carlos Sainz, Jr. – who would have imagined Dawson GP getting a podium last season?

Reject Of The Race:

Lando Norris – not only was he well behind Sebastian Vettel, he made a catastrophic mistake to add on to it.