BAHRAIN GP – Sergio Perez fastest by four-tenths in first practice with Fernando Alonso splitting the Red Bull’s
Sergio Perez was fastest in the first practice session ahead of this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver set a 32.758 on the soft tyre which put him four-tenths faster than the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, with the Spaniard splitting the Red Bulls after going nearly two-tenths faster than Max Verstappen.
Red Bull go into this weekend as the team to beat as Perez topped the final day of testing last Saturday, while his teammate Verstappen also looked strong during last weekend’s test also in Sakhir. Lando Norris put his McLaren’s fourth fastest showing maybe for the first time what McLaren may be capable off this season.
The benchmark from Perez came halfway through the hour-long session and, despite a late effort from Alonso, the Red Bull driver’s time stood firm. Perez’s time being around a second slower than the quickest time of pre-season testing at Sakhir last week. that time was set around the same time as tomorrow’s qualifying session last Saturday evening.
Norris going fourth fastest was the surprise of the afternoon, McLaren have admitted that they have failed to meet their development targets and expect a slow start to the season, although the Briton was nearly a second and a half off the pace
However, first practice in Sakhir are not reprehensive of the conditions for qualifying and the race, with this being a twilight race. Charles Leclerc looking to struggle with the Ferraridescribedg the car as a ‘seesaw’, he could only manage fifth one and a half seconds off the pace.
Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz, however, was slowest of all with the team also struggling with his rear wing. The new design was flexing on several axes out on track and had to be removed and replaced with the same version fitted. The Spaniard had a huge spin in a car that struggled for balance.
Lance Stroll made his return to Aston Martin after missing last weeks test and undergoing surgery for a rist injury from a pre-season cycling accident. The Canadian showed promise seen by the car last weekend, he was four hundredths behind Leclerc’s Ferrari and ahead of his midfield rival Kevin Magnussen.
However, Ferrari along with Mercedes opted not to run the soft tyres during the session and in testing were the second and third fastest teams. It is likely that they will be closer in FP2 after the sun sets. It was another good start to the season for Alfa Romeo with Guanyu Zhou going eighth a tenth faster than teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Zhou had complained midway through the session about the positioning of his pedals in the car, but was told the team could not realign them until the break before the second practice session.
Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top ten going five hundredths faster than his teammate George Russell, but those times were also set on the medium tyre. It is expected they will start showing their full potential in second practice later this evening.
Oscar Piastri was best of the rookies going twelfth fastest, two seconds off the outright pace. His only real error was a stap of oversteer at the start of the down hill section between Turns Six and Seven. The Australian was ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon.
Former Mercedes Formula E champion Nyck de Vries made his first outing as a full-time F1 driver, the Dutchman best of the ‘rookies’ going sixteenth. He was half a tenth faster than Pierre Gasly who he replaced at Alpha Tauri this season, following the Frenchman’s move to Alpine.
Logan Sargeant was eighteenth going seven hundredths faster than Williams teammate Alex Albon,