Who rode this Wednesday?
As usual during winter testing, half the field. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), George Russell (Mercedes), Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) were on the circuit for the start of the tests on the track of Sakhir.
Who set the best time?
Max Verstappen. The Dutchman set a time of 1’31″344 equipped with C3 tires. He was more than a second ahead of the Briton Lando Norris (1″140) and Carlos Sainz (1″240), who is starting his last season in the ranks of Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth at 1”225 ahead of Pierre Gasly (1”461).
Who rode the most?
It’s Max Verstappen. The three-time world champion completed 143 laps. George Russell, twelfth in today’s session, also passed the 100 lap mark (122). Then we find Nico Hulkenberg (82 laps), Fernando Alonso (77 laps) and Lando Norris (73 laps).
Who had problems?
We were worried about McLaren from the start of the session, because Oscar Piastri spent a lot of time in the garage during the first hour. Enough to give Woking a cold sweat, in extreme difficulty in Bahrain, in 2022 and 2023. Then, the Australian was able to complete the laps without having any problems. He covered 57 in total.
The big technical incident of this first session was for Alexander Albon who suffered a breakdown during the last hour, 20 minutes from time. He was forced to stop his Williams on the circuit.
Ranking at the end of the first day
1. Max Verstappen (PB/Red Bull) in 1:31.344 (143 laps)
2. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren) + 1,140 (73)
3. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) + 1,240 (69)
4. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Racing Bulls) +1.225 (52)
5. Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine) + 1,461 (61)
6. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin) + 1,663 (54)
7. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) + 1,903 (64)
8. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin) + 2,041 (77)
9. Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren) + 2,314 (57)
10. Zhou Guanyu (CHI/Sauber) + 2,527 (63)
11. Logan Sargeant (USA/Williams) + 2,538 (21)
12. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) + 2,765 (122)
13. Yuki Tsunoda (JAP/Racing Bulls) + 2,792 (64)
14. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Sauber) + 3,087 (68)
15. Alex Albon (THA/Williams) + 3,243 (40)
16. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine) + 3,333 (60)
17. Kevin Magnussen (DAN/Haas) + 4,348 (66)
18. Nico Hulkenberg (ALL/Haas) + 4,562 (82)