Action, drama, heartache jubilation, glitz, glamour, thrills and spills. F1 has it all. The world's fastest cars, in the hands of the world's best drivers. Pushing to the limits on the most testing of tracks around the world. All vying for the ultimate prize in motorsports - the Formula 1 World Championship.
A record-breaking 23 races lie ahead. Spread across 20 countries and five continents. But here’s a doozy. The season opener of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Qatar has what many would call the winner’s curse looming over.
The saying goes that starting strong leads to a successful season and a championship victory, but recent years have shown a different trend.
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The legendary Michael Schumacher won all but one of his seven championships after winning the opening round, except for the 2003 season. However, since Nico Rosberg's win in 2016, the pattern has shifted. Rosberg was the last driver to win the opening Grand Prix and take home the championship trophy in the same season.
In the six seasons following Rosberg's victory, the winner of the opening race finished second in the championship standings. This trend indicates that the driver who wins the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is the first race of the 2023 season, may not necessarily be the one to take home the championship trophy.
The runner-up in the opening race has fared better in recent years, with four out of the six championships won by drivers who finished second in the opening round. Lewis Hamilton was the runner-up from 2017-19, and Max Verstappen finished second in the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix before taking the championship title.
| 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 |
While starting strong is always advantageous, recent trends suggest that winning the opening race is not a surefire indicator of championship success. The competition is fierce, and anything can happen during the course of a season, making every race a crucial one for drivers looking to secure a championship title.
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