Daniel Ricciardo topped the first practice session for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, while Max Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 world champion, only managed to secure the sixth fastest time. The session provided an initial glimpse of the teams’ performance for the race weekend, but it was difficult to draw definitive conclusions due to varying run plans and tire usage.
During the early part of the session, all 20 drivers ran on the medium compound (C2) Pirelli tires and attempted performance runs. This allowed for a more accurate comparison between the teams. The drivers’ order on the medium tires was as follows:
1. Verstappen
2. Russell
3. Perez
4. Hamilton
5. Alonso
6. Leclerc
7. Sainz
8. Norris
9. Stroll
10. Ricciardo
11. Tsunoda
12. Albon
13. Bottas
14. Piastri
15. Ocon
16. Sargeant
17. Zhou
18. Gasly
19. Magnussen
20. Hulkenberg
Based on this tire comparison, the provisional order of car pure pace was as follows:
1. Red Bull
2. Mercedes (+0.2s)
3. Aston Martin (+0.4s)
4. Ferrari (+0.5s)
5. McLaren (+1.0s)
6. RB (+1.1s)
7. Williams (+1.3s)
8. Sauber (+1.4s)
9. Alpine (+1.6s)
10. Haas (+4.4s)
These initial results suggest that Mercedes and Aston Martin may be more competitive than anticipated during testing, while Ferrari and McLaren may be slightly less competitive. Haas, however, seemed focused on high-fuel race runs and can be disregarded for now.
In the second half of the session, the teams’ run plans diverged. Only Red Bull, McLaren, and Sauber fitted the softest (C3) tires. The order on the soft tires was as follows:
1. Ricciardo
2. Norris
3. Piastri
4. Tsunoda
5. Bottas
6. Zhou
This allowed Ricciardo to set the fastest lap time of the session. It was particularly interesting to see how competitive the Red Bull was on the soft tires compared to the McLaren, which seemed more challenging to drive in slow-speed corners. This raises the question of whether Red Bull could pose a genuine threat to McLaren on a circuit that has historically been weaker for McLaren.
The remaining seven teams and 14 drivers made further attempts on the medium tires throughout the session. The later order on the medium tires was as follows:
1. Alonso
2. Verstappen
3. Russell
4. Leclerc
5. Hamilton
6. Sainz
7. Perez
8. Albon
9. Stroll
10. Sargeant
11. Ocon
12. Gasly
13. Magnussen
14. Hulkenberg
Based on this tire comparison, the order of the cars was as follows:
1. Aston Martin
2. Red Bull (+0.1s)
3. Mercedes (+0.1s)
4. Ferrari (+0.1s)
5. Williams (+0.4s)
6. Alpine (+1.0s)
7. Haas (+4.3s)
This result is particularly promising for Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso, although it should be noted that Alonso’s fastest time was set late in the session compared to others. The Ferrari drivers also seemed more comfortable in the second half of the session. Sergio Perez set his best lap earlier than Verstappen, but there appeared to be some convergence of lap times on the medium tires due to track improvement.
Verstappen experienced handling issues and complained about jumpy gearshifts during his first runs. He also completed fewer laps than other top drivers. Additionally, Alpine struggled relative to other teams that attempted proper lap times on the medium tires, excluding Haas, which focused on long-run simulations.