Verstappen fastest as F1 testing begins in Bahrain

Verstappen was the only driver yesterday to hit the track for both the morning and afternoon runs for his team. He completed a total of 157 laps, showcasing the speed and reliability of Red Bull’s RB19 contender.

Testing continues today from 10am to 2pm and from 3pm to 7.30pm. BIC will be welcoming fans for the first of two open days. Those who are eager to get a first glimpse of the 2023 cars in action can purchase their tickets at BD5 per day and at half the price at BD2.5 each for children aged three to 12.

Tickets will be available at the gate, at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973- 17450000. Those who bought their F1 tickets before 1 February have free access to testing for both days. Gates will be open from midday to 7pm to fans.

All those attending the F1 pre-season tests will be able to follow the action from BIC’s Main Grandstand, which overlooks the F1 Pit Lane, the teams’ garages and the circuit’s main straight. Verstappen led two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso on the timesheet.

Alonso, in his first season with Aston Martin, was just 0.029 seconds off the leading mark in his AMR23. He tested in the afternoon session and completed 60 laps. Carlos Sainz was third on the combined timesheet 0.416s from Verstappen’s pace.

Testing Ferrari’s SF-23 in the morning, Sainz put in 72 laps of work before handing over the duties to teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth on the day 0.430s behind first place with a total of 64 laps.

Lando Norris (+0.625s) was fifth fastest, testing McLaren’s MCL60 in the afternoon, while Lewis Hamilton (+0.671s) was sixth in Mercedes’s F1 W14, also in the afternoon with cooler temperatures at the desert racing facility.

Completing the top 10 were Alexander Albon (+0.834s), testing Williams’s FW45 in the morning; Zhou Guanyu (+0.886s) in Alfa Romeo’s C43, also in the day’s opening session; George Russell (+1.337s) in Mercedes’s other F1 W14; and Logan Sargeant (+1.487s) in the second FW45.

Rounding out the timesheet from 11th to 19th, respectively, were Nico Hulkenberg for Haas, Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo, Nyck de Vries for AlphaTauri, Felipe Drugovich testing in place of Lance Stroll for Aston Martin, Yuki Tsunoda for AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon of Alpine, Oscar Piastri for McLaren, and Kevin Magnussen for Haas.

In Thursday’s morning session, Verstappen put Red Bull on top with a best lap time of 1:32.959. At the time, Sainz followed on the timesheet 0.294s slower, while Albon had Williams in third 0.712s adrift.

In today’s second day of testing, Verstappen is scheduled to be back in action for Red Bull in the morning, but will turn over the duties to teammate Sergio Perez for the afternoon session. Also sharing track time are Sainz and Leclerc for Ferrari, Hamilton and Russell for Mercedes, Ocon and Gasly for Alpine, Norris and Piastri for McLaren, Magnussen and Hulkenberg for Haas, and Tsunoda and de Vries for AlphaTauri. Zhou will be on track the whole day for Alfa Romeo, as will Sargeant for Williams.

Times

1 Max Verstappen, Oracle Red Bull Racing 1m32.837s

2 Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team 1m32.886s

3 Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari 1m33.253s

4 Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari 1m33.267s

5 Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team 1m33.462s

6 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team 1m33.508s

7 Alex Albon, Williams Racing 1m33.671s

8 Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake 1m33.723s

9 George Russell, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team 1m34.174s

10 Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing 1m34.324s

11 Nico Hulkenberg, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team 1m34.424s

12 Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake 1m34.558s

13 Nyck de Vries, Scuderia AlphaTauri 1m34.559s

14 Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team 1m34.564s

15 Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri 1m34.671s

16 Pierre Gasly, BWT Alpine F1 Team 1m34.822s

17 Esteban Ocon, BWT Alpine F1 Team 1m34.871s

18 Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team 1m34.888s

19 Kevin Magnussen, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team 1m35.087s