Daniel Ricciardo blazed to the top in F1’s FP1 in Bahrain, clocking a 1:32.869 with Lando Norris following closely behind.
The Australian driver was just 0.032 seconds ahead of Lando Norris, with the two McLaren drivers leading the way. Max Verstappen was therefore only sixth, six tenths off the Australian, just behind Tsunoda and Alonso, while Leclerc was eighth behind Russell. Hamilton and Bottas rounded out the top 10, with Sainz just outside in eleventh.
However, the day was dominated by the wind, which caused problems for many of the teams. The Bahrain track presents a setup dilemma for F1 outfits, as cars can become “flighty” during sessions, as they were during pre-season testing one week ago.
Everyone is complaining about the wind, especially Lando Norris reporting understeer over team radio.
Ten minutes into the session, Max Verstappen set the first interesting time on medium tires. As Carlos Sainz asked to lower his front wing for stability, Charles Leclerc followed him a lap later.
It was a very demanding first practice session for the whole grid with Lando Norris setting the first time on the softest compound for a fast lap simulation, taking the top spot on the timesheets with a 1:32.901, only 2 tenths faster than his teammate Oscar Piastri with 30 minutes of the hour remaining. The high track wear meant that teams were only able to do one push lap simulation each.
Max Verstappen also had a difficult day, complaining of issues with braking, downshifts, and the differential. With him, also Esteban Ocon struggled with stability issues with his car. Lance Stroll has been the first driver to go into the gravel this year, reporting flattening his tires in the gravel, ruining his medium compound.
The second part of the session was dedicated to long runs and race stints, where each driver had a different fuel load. Piastri was consistent on the 1:38.600, but Leclerc pulled out a 38:000.
The afternoon session will be more important, as it will take place in the cooler temperatures that are expected for qualifying and the race.
F1 Bahrain FP1 Results: Top Ten
1. Daniel Ricciardo (RB F1 Team) – 1:32.869
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.032
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)+0.244
4. Yuki Tsunoda (RB F1 Team) +0.314
5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.324
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.369
7. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.382
8. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.399
9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.433
10. Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) +0.485