Sunny. Dry. Windy. Air +22…24. Route 26…23С
Winter tests summarize the results of a busy off-season, working on the design of new cars, and although the technical regulations have not changed much, everyone tried to achieve greater stability, speed and reliability.
This time no one gave presentations on the first day of testing; everyone showed the paint of the car in advance and real new products were brought to Bahrain. Photographers were actively working, team employees obscured with their bodies the cars parked in the pits – everything was as usual.
The first day of testing was dedicated to working with aerodynamics, making sure the calculations and data correlation between the wind tunnel and the real track were correct. The cars were driven away with pressure sensor arrays and aerodynamic paint. This is the most important thing.
Both sessions went smoothly. The cars are reliable, the track is forgiving of mistakes. In the morning Ocon flew into the gravel, in the afternoon Sargent spun into turn nine – and he never pulled away again. Williams lost time replacing the fuel pump on Albon’s car, and McLaren replaced Norris’s bottom end.
Lance Stroll lost the left mirror of his Aston Martin – Ricciardo managed to avoid it and Hulkenberg hit him with the left front wheel.
It was noticeable that everything had improved compared to last year, but this is only the first day of testing. Next week we will find out what the real balance of power will be. It probably won’t change much, but we’ll see. It seems that the former AlphaTauri, and now Visa RB, has noticeably improved, after receiving more nodes from Red Bull Racing.
The weather was favorable for work, during the day it was hot and windy, but in the evening the temperature dropped, the grip improved and became comfortable. Artificial lighting was switched on – the first Grand Prix of the new season will be held under similar conditions.
Max Verstappen led the protocol and set the best lap in 1:31.344 – one second behind his nearest rival. Almost everyone rode the Grand Prix distance on the first day, and Verstappen did that twice. Of the teams, the Haas F1 racers drove the longest distance, completing the list.
Results of the first day of testing
| Pilot | Team | Time | Circles | Tyres |
| 1. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:31,344 | 142 | C3 |
| 2. L.Norris | McLaren | 1:32,484 | 72 | C3 |
| 3. K.Sainz | Ferrari | 1:32,584 | 69 | C3 |
| 4. D. Ricciardo | RB | 1:32,599 | 51 | C3 |
| 5. P. Gasly | Alps | 1:32,805 | 60 | C3 |
| 6. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 1:33.007 | 53 | C3 |
| 7. S. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:33,247 | 64 | C3 |
| 8. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:33,385 | 77 | C3 |
| 9. O. Piastri | McLaren | 1:33,658 | 57 | C3 |
| 10. G.Zhou | Sauber | 1:33,871 | 62 | C3 |
| 11. L. Sargent | Williams | 1:33,882 | 21 | C3 |
| 12. D. Russell | Mercedes | 1:34,109 | 121 | C3 |
| 13. Yu.Tsunoda | RB | 1:34,136 | 64 | C3 |
| 14. V. Bottas | Sauber | 1:34,431 | 68 | C3 |
| 15. A. Elbon | Williams | 1:34,587 | 40 | C3 |
| 16. E. Okon | Alps | 1:34,677 | 60 | C2 |
| 17. K.Magnussen | Hare | 1:35,692 | 66 | C3 |
| 18. N. Hulkenberg | Hare | 1:35,906 | 81 | C3 |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
