#BahrainTestDay1: @RedBullRacing’s @Max33Verstappen quickest. #F1

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was fastest on day one of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit as a sandstorm swept the track. The first day also saw world champions Mercedes struggle with a gearbox issue and a lack of pace, ending the day with just 48 laps.

Verstappen drove the whole day in his Honda-powered Red Bull RB16B entry – with team-mate Sergio Perez taking his turn today – and the Dutchman finished the morning in third place, before improving under the bright lights to finish with the quickest time of the day posting a 1:30.626 on the medium compounds. Although suffering a spin, Verstappen enjoyed a trouble-free day.

When the afternoon running began, the wind was sending sand all over the circuit, causing drivers to encounter a lack of grip. But later in the day, as the lights pierced through the darkening sky, conditions cooled down and track grip improved as drivers pushed on and set a flurry of lap-times.

This saw McLaren’s Lando Norris end up second on the time-sheets also on mediums, Alpine F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon taking third using the softer rubber and Aston Martin Racing’s Lance Stroll in fourth place whilst running Pirelli’s prototype medium tyres.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who took-over from 11th-placed morning running team-mate Charles Leclerc to pilot the SF21 in the afternoon, completed the top five.

Behind Sainz in sixth place was Alfa Romeo Racing’s Antonio Giovinazzi who drove the C41 in the afternoon session following 12th-placed Kimi Raikkonen who’s duty was in the morning.

McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo who topped the early running, fell to seventh on the time-sheets with a 1:32.203 and wracked up 45 laps in mileage.

Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was eighth placed on day one, in-front of team-mate Yuki Tsunoda who made his pre-season testing debut in the Honda-powered AT02. The Japanese driver wound up only half a second off the Frenchman.

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top ten as Mercedes endured a tough day at the Bahrain International Circuit. The Briton completed 42 laps, but failed to make use of the better grip and conditions in the evening and looked to be struggling with a lack of pace. Team-mate Valtteri Bottas could only complete six laps overall in the morning as the F1 W12 encountered a gearbox issue and saw the Finn in a low-17th on the time-sheets.

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel finished his first day for the Silverstone based-outfit in 13th place and ahead of Williams Racing’s test and reserve driver Roy Nissany who took 14th.

Uralkali Haas F1 Team revealed their Ferrari-powered VF-21 racer in the pit-lane before proceedings began and Mick Schumacher then posted his first times, before a gearbox issue struck and forced the German to have limited time on the track. Schumacher ran 15 laps and finished 16th, with new team-mate Nikita Mazepin taking over for his duty in the afternoon completing 70 laps and ended 15th quickest.

Selected Driver Quotes

Lewis Hamilton, #44, Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, F1 W12:

“Today definitely wasn’t the cleanest of days that we’ve had but these things are sent to try us. Everyone has worked extremely hard to get us here. We had that mishap in the morning which was very unfortunate for Valtteri in terms of losing time on track and the team is working hard to try and understand what that was. I think they did a great job to turn the car around. The second session wasn’t without its challenges, but we exist to find solutions to the problems we’re faced with. We just had a good debrief and we’ll keep working away. I’ve never seen a sandstorm come through here before in all the years that I’ve driven at this circuit. The sand was moving like rain would move. Having sand on the tyres isn’t good for their longevity and getting consistency on long runs is difficult. Over a single lap it isn’t the worst, but you need lots of laps at this time of year to get data. We have no choice but to take the positives. I remember in 2007 during testing I had 10 days in the car and now it’s getting less and less. We only have a day and a half in the car before the first race, with different tyres and different aero modifications so it’s not easy but it’s the same for everyone. I’d like to think my nine years’ experience with this team will help me get the best out of it.”

Charles Leclerc, #16, Scuderia Ferrari, SF21:

“The first day in a new car is always very interesting, after all the work carried out over the winter. We completed the whole programme without any major problems and the first impression of the car is pretty good. But obviously, it’s far too early to give a full assessment. Now I can’t wait to get behind the wheel again tomorrow!”

Lance Stroll, #18, Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, AMR21:

“I don’t think anybody found it easy out there. It’s early days to be making judgements on the car and we have to remember that this year there’s a cut in downforce, which you can feel in the car, and there are new tyres too. The important thing is that we made an encouraging start and it felt good to drive the AMR21. We spent the majority of today doing aero mapping and collecting plenty of useful data. It’s great to be back in the car and really feeling the energy of the team. It’s a new beginning as Aston Martin, we’re all really excited to get the season going and I’m enjoying working with Sebastian and getting to know how he operates. All in all, it’s been a productive session and I definitely enjoyed my day in the AMR21!”

Daniel Ricciardo, #3, McLaren F1 Team, MCL35M:

“It was really good to get back out in the car for my first proper session with McLaren. I was able to push the car a little bit and get more familiar with it. It was a smooth morning, everything ran well and that’s all you can ask in testing – you want reliability on your side and the team back in Woking has done an awesome job of giving us a great start on day one. We got a good amount of runs and laps done, with a focus on getting more and more familiar and comfortable in the car. The plan for the next few days is similar, we’re aiming to leave here feeling ready to go for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Happy days!”

Max Verstappen, #33, Red Bull Racing-Honda, RB16B:

“We had a very positive day and managed a lot of laps even though the track conditions were quite difficult. We aimed for this number of laps and when you can complete a full programme like this the Team can also be pleased with the information we have. We don’t need to talk about pace yet and it isn’t really a discussion until we get to Q3 at the first race weekend – it’s only then you see the real pace in all the cars. The main thing is that the car felt nice to drive, so it’s a positive start.:

Catch up on the full highlights of the first day of pre-season testing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-O6tUkabk8

You can see who is driving for day two here at the link: #F1 2021 Pre-Season Testing Driver Line-ups for @BAH_Int_Circuit.

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