06 March 2023 , 10:33
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Jeremy Clarkson revealed the Formula 1 teams he has a soft spot for as he returned to the grid for the first time "in years".
The Grand Tour and Clarkson's Farm presenter was one of the celebrities who spoke to Martin Brundle during the Sky Sports pundit's traditional grid walk on Sunday. And the 62-year-old couldn't contains his excitement after a long absence from the sport he had fallen out of love with.
"First Formula 1 race I've been to for years. It's just so fantastic to be back," Clarkson said. "I adore Formula 1. It was infuriating for years and years and now it's back because they can follow one another and the aerodynamics are so much better.
"My daughter is now a really big fan so I can talk to her about it. I can't believe how big [the cars] have got! I'm just fizzing with excitement over it all."
One of the UK's leading motoring journalists, Clarkson has paid close attention to many different eras of this ever-evolving sport. And in his former role as a Top Gear presenter, he interviewed a swathe of F1 drivers including the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher.
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Of those three, only the Brit remains on the F1 grid, still racing at the age of 38 with Mercedes. But Clarkson was not cheering on a compatriot – instead, his loyalties were split.
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix – as predicted by Jeremy Clarkson (Frank Augstein/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Asked the question by Brundle, he replied: "It's not like football, you don't have a team. I like Alfa Romeos, always have done. Alpine are my local team in Chipping Norton so I root for them a little bit. I'm friends with a bunch of people at Red Bull and I'm here with Salman [the crown prince of Bahrain]. I don't know."
But what he did know was that there was only one man who was ever likely to win on Sunday. " Max [Verstappen] is going to win the race. Who will be second? That's the question."
The Dutchman romped to a comfortable win with Sergio Perez miles ahead of anyone else as well in second. Fernando Alonso took the third and final spot on the podium in Bahrain as his new Aston Martin team lived up to the pre-season hype.