The 2023 Bahrain GP featured the same familiar face at the top, as Max Verstappen dominated the race from start to finish. There were quite a few standout performances from other drivers, as they placed their cars in impressive positions. Meanwhile, some had a forgettable start to the season at the 2023 Bahrain GP.Having said that, in a way to put a bow on the Bahrain GP weekend, let's take a look at how each driver fared this weekend.2023 F1 Bahrain GP: Rating the driversRed BullMax Verstappen (Started: 1st, Finished: 1st)Rating: 10Sure, he has got the best car on the grid, but imagine if Max Verstappen had messed up his qualifying lap and Charles Leclerc had pipped him for pole position. The race could have looked a lot different if you don't have the lead from the very first corner.Max Verstappen@Max33VerstappenYes!!! Exactly the start we hoped for A very lovely result finishing one-two A big thank you goes out to the entire team, this is down to all their hard work over the winter! Let’s keep pushing @SChecoPerez @redbullracing @HondaRacingGLB#BahrainGP373693213Yes!!! Exactly the start we hoped for 💪 A very lovely result finishing one-two 👏A big thank you goes out to the entire team, this is down to all their hard work over the winter! Let’s keep pushing @SChecoPerez @redbullracing @HondaRacingGLB#BahrainGP https://t.co/AAiImT001nVerstappen had to work his way through gremlins on Friday, but come Saturday and Sunday, he was in top form. Tough to find faults in what he was able to achieve at the 2023 Bahrain GP.Sergio Perez (Started: 3rd, Finished: 2th)Rating: 8Perez did the role of a No. 2 driver to the best of his ability. Having said that, if his aspirations involve winning the title, he might need to bridge the gap he has on Verstappen.FerrariCharles Leclerc (Started: 2nd, Finished: DNF)Rating: 10It was a heartbreaking end to the race weekend for Charles Leclerc, but you cannot fault the Ferrari driver at any point this race weekend. Qualifying was as good as he could have done. He maximised the race result as well before the power unit cried enough.Charles Leclerc@Charles_LeclercWe have a lot of work to do. Not the first race we wanted to have, struggling with the pace in the race and unfortunately not finishing the race because of a reliability problem. Two weeks to push flat out and react starting from Jeddah!508103253We have a lot of work to do. Not the first race we wanted to have, struggling with the pace in the race and unfortunately not finishing the race because of a reliability problem. Two weeks to push flat out and react starting from Jeddah! https://t.co/qKMYvJqB7MCarlos Sainz (Started: 4th, Finished: 4th)Rating: 7A solid race for Sainz, as he starts the season in almost the same position he started the 2022 season in. There's a gulf in the performance of the two Ferrari drivers, and it's safe to say it's not closing down soon. Losing the podium to Alonso would have been even more disappointing for the Spaniard.MercedesLewis Hamilton (Started: 7th, Finished: 5th)Rating: 8.5That P5 was the best Mercedes could have achieved at the 2023 Bahrain GP. A slight slip in qualifying where George Russell got the jump on him was the only place where Hamilton faltered a bit as he once again showed his class.Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team@MercedesAMGF1 "We need to dig deep, deeper than we ever have done before. And we can do that."Toto, Shov, Lewis and George talk through a tough Bahrain GP for the Team. 2739139💬 "We need to dig deep, deeper than we ever have done before. And we can do that."Toto, Shov, Lewis and George talk through a tough Bahrain GP for the Team. 👇George Russell (Started: 6th, Finished: 7th)Rating: 7Not a good race for Russell, as he basically experienced what Valtteri Bottas would have felt all these years in Mercedes: outqualified Hamilton but lost the position at the start. Russell was further compromised at the first pitstop, as he was forced to do two more laps, as Mercedes opted to service Hamilton first. If you don't want that to happen, Russell needs to be ahead of Hamilton, not behind his compatriot on the track. A rather average race for the bright Mercedes driver.AlpinePierre Gasly (Started: 20th, Finished: 9th)Rating: 7Qualifying was a horror experience for Gasly, as he was eliminated in Q1. The race was remarkable, though, as he steadily made his way through the field and scored points. A good positive start to the season for the Frenchman.Esteban Ocon (Started: 9th, Finished: DNF)Rating: 6Excellence in qualifying meant Ocon was able to finish Q3 for the team. The race proved to be a disaster, though, where everything that could go wrong went wrong. The grid slot infringement was weird, as it didn't look that big. The pitlane overspeeding was bad, and so was Alpine being unable to do a 5-sec time penalty properly. A day to forget for the French driver.BWT Alpine F1 Team@AlpineF1TeamReflecting on a difficult day for Esteban: 🗣️ “Not much to say except it was not our day. We made too many operational mistakes and they cost us today, so we’ll need to analyse and learn from those quickly. We take this one on the chin and move forward to the next race.”#Alpine58828Reflecting on a difficult day for Esteban: 🗣️ “Not much to say except it was not our day. We made too many operational mistakes and they cost us today, so we’ll need to analyse and learn from those quickly. We take this one on the chin and move forward to the next race.”#Alpine https://t.co/DPd8Nmvp9OMcLarenLando Norris (Started: 11th, Finished: 17th)Rating: 7There was a certain level of anger and frustration in the eyes of Lando Norris when he faced the media after the 2023 Bahrain GP. Qualifying P11 was stunning, but being turned into a test driver in a race where McLaren had no pace is not ideal for any driver.Oscar Piastri (Started: 18th, Finished: DNF)Rating: 5.5A quiet start to life in F1 for Piastri. The 2023 Bahrain GP would not be remembered with much fondness by the Australian, as he was eliminated in Q1 on Saturday, and the race didn't last long enough for him to make an impact.McLaren@McLarenF1Hear from Lando and Oscar after the #BahrainGP. Thank you for your support. 🧡 #FansLikeNoOtherWe keep pushing.2927158Hear from Lando and Oscar after the #BahrainGP. 🇧🇭 Thank you for your support. 🧡 #FansLikeNoOtherWe keep pushing. https://t.co/6wYROhPWxPAlfa RomeoValtteri Bottas (Started: 12th, Finished: 8th)Rating: 8Credit where it's due, as Bottas was sensational in the Alfa Romeo. It's clear as day that there are limitations to the cars in midfield, but Bottas appears to have nailed the setup for the race. Once he went unscathed at the start, there was never much of a challenge from behind. A good weekend for the Finnish driver.Guanyu Zhou (Started: 13th, Finished: 16th)Rating: 5It's just the same criticism that has stuck with Zhou since his junior racing days. He's fast but sporadically. Worryingly, there's never been an explanation for that either. The 2023 Bahrain GP was nothing different. He was right on his teammate's pace in qualifying, but when the race came, Zhou just did not make any impression. A disappointing start to the season for the Chinese driver.Aston MartinFernando Alonso (Started: 5th, Finished: 3rd)Rating: 9Alonso did what he tends to do often: place the car where it belongs, sometimes even a step or two better. If it wasn't for the slight tap to the back by Stroll at the start of the race, Alonso might have had a more impressive race fighting the Ferraris. Nevertheless, a season with unfathomable possibilities awaits the Spaniard in 2023.El retrovisor de Stroll 🇫🇮|| María@7nsuaNunca que equivoqué apoyando a Lance. "Estas feliz de no estar en Alpine" EN MEDIO DE LA ENTREVISTA. 10811Nunca que equivoqué apoyando a Lance. "Estas feliz de no estar en Alpine" EN MEDIO DE LA ENTREVISTA. https://t.co/WtqsJIItR0Lance Stroll (Started: 8th, Finished: 6th)Rating: 8Stroll deserves all the credit in the world for putting together such a great show at the 2023 Bahrain GP. He was in pain all weekend but still stayed within touching distance of his teammate by the time the chequered flag fell, and not to forget, he finished ahead of a Mercedes. Loads of respect for the Canadian.Haas F1Kevin Magnussen (Started: 17th, Finished: 13th)Rating: 6A bit of a nothing weekend for the Haas driver, as a poor qualifying was exacerbated by having a car with poor tyre management. Starting P17 and finishing P13 is not what Magnussen would have hoped for at the 2023 Bahrain GP.Nico Hulkenberg (Started: 10th, Finished: 17th)Rating: 6It all did come down crashing for Hulkeneberg at the 2023 Bahrain GP. The German's qualifying was very impressive, and a Q3 entry was a surprise. The race did, however, expose a level of rustiness that comes from not having done a full race season in three years.AlphaTauriNyck de Vries (Started: 19th, Finished: 14th)Rating: 6.5A decent start to life at AlphaTauri for De Vries. The driver was outqualified and outraced by his Japanese teammate, but that was expected. The gap is not too big between the two drivers for now, but the 2023 Bahrain GP did show that ther's some work that needs to be done by the Dutch driver.Yuki Tsunoda (Started: 14th, Finished: 11th)Rating: 7.5A decent start to the 2023 Bahrain GP race weekend for Tsunoda. He did a good job in qualifying, as he took the car to Q2. He almost scored a point as well but was pipped by Albon in the end.WilliamsAlex Albon (Started: 15th, Finished: 10th)Rating: 8Excellent showing at the 2023 Bahrain GP for Albon. He qualified well and dragged his car to a points finish. A good day's work in the Williams.Alex Albon@alex_albonP10!!!! Let's go!! Thank you @WilliamsRacing 12957622P10!!!! Let's go!! Thank you @WilliamsRacing 👊👊 https://t.co/SbdVCtFkOYLogan Sargeant (Started: 16th, Finished: 12th)Rating: 7An impressive debut from Sargeant, as he showed signs of having strong one-lap speed. Keep an eye on the American as he might challenge Albon this season in that Williams.