Before the start of the Formula 1 season in Australia on March 8th, the eleven teams have one last chance for extensive testing in Bahrain this week. sport.de reports today in the LIVE ticker from day 5 of the tests.
+++ Route reopened +++
It took almost a quarter of an hour before Fernando Alonso’s damaged vehicle could be safely transported away. Now the track is open again, Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari is the first to get back on the track.
+++ Red flags – session interrupted +++
Fernando Alonso has completed 68 laps so far and was able to complete important test kilometers in the Aston Martin. But suddenly the Spanish veteran has problems and brings his car to a halt in the middle of the track. The session is interrupted for the time being. It remains to be seen whether the Aston Martin crew will be able to get the car fit again today.
+++ Hülkenberg solidly on the move +++
While Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi caused a few problems in the morning and the young Brazilian only managed 29 laps in the four hours of the early session, Nico Hülkenberg has been running smoothly so far. With his 1:34.684 lap he is currently only one and a half tenths behind Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes.
+++ Verstappen with the new best time +++
Max Verstappen has been out and about in his Red Bull all morning and has already completed over 65 laps. The four-time world champion has just really pushed a lap and burned a 1:33.444 into the asphalt. He set a new best time for the day. In the blink of an eye, he was 0.009 seconds faster than Lando Norris in the morning shift.
+++ Antonelli wants to further confirm the good impression +++
In the Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli gets started right away and has already clocked up twelve laps. He has already climbed to fourth place in the table for the fastest laps of the day. The young Italian definitely wants to confirm the good impressions of the last few days.
+++ Verstappen and Hamilton remain seated +++
There will be no driver changes for six teams today, including Red Bull with Max Verstappen and Ferrari with Lewis Hamilton. The four-time and seven-time champions will continue to test their cars over the next few hours. The driver is also changed at Audi, among others. Nico Hülkenberg will now take over for Gabriel Bortoleto at the new factory team.
Here again is the overview of all drivers:
+++ Let’s continue with the late shift +++
At 1 p.m. the lights turn green again, then Oscar Piastri in the McLaren and Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes take over. Here again is the lap and time overview from the early session.
+++ Off to lunch break +++
Part one of Formula 1 test day 5 in Bahrain is in the books, there is now just a test start.
As befits his status, world champion Lando Norris delivered the previous best time in the McLaren with 1:33.453.
At 1 p.m. it continues on the route and here in the ticker.
+++ Audi jumps into the top 5 +++
As in the last few days, things are going well at Audi. Bortoleto just delivered a time of 1:35.263 – that’s enough for fifth place in today’s time ranking.
And there is also good news for the second new team in the Formula 1 field: Bottas in the Cadillac has now completed more laps than Verstappen in the Red Bull.
Hamilton only has five (!) laps of the track left on his list. Ferrari is still in the pits. Will the Scuderia even get back on track before the break?
+++ Background to the Audi problems revealed +++
At 19 laps, Bortoleto is in the Audi. The German team also had to take a forced break in the morning. The portal “Formel1.de”, citing reporters on site, reported that problems with the hydraulics were behind it.
+++ Final spurt without a spurt +++
The last half hour before the lunch break has begun. The asphalt in Bahrain is currently scorching with a track temperature of around 45 degrees, which is why all teams are holding back on fast laps.
Remarkable: Bottas in the Cadillac is now running a tight program after the late start. The Finnish veteran already has more than 40 laps on the clock today.
+++ And what about Ferrari?! +++
Audi is driving again, the Racing Bulls are also back on the track… and what about Ferrari?! The Scuderia is further out.
The partition walls were put up in the garage that morning, so major renovation work on the car is likely.
+++ Audi is back! +++
Finally, Audi is back on track! Bortoleto delivers a 1:35.741. In the remaining hour until his lunch break he will certainly want to collect one or two kilometers.
+++ No further sight of Audi +++
In addition to the Ferrari, the Audi is also still in the garage. This is a small setback for Nico Hülkenberg’s team, who is scheduled to start in the afternoon session today.
The Racing Bulls, in the person of Liam Lawson, have been driving noticeably little so far today.
Aston Martin, on the other hand, is doing solidly, where the house blessing is said to be already hanging on after weak tests so far. Old champion Fernando Alonso has completed 27 laps so far today. He is scheduled to take part in both sessions for the British today.
+++ Guesswork about Ferrari’s time out +++
Ferrari still has five measly laps and the car is in the pits. According to Sky Italia, there are no engine problems at Scuderia.
There is speculation about difficulties with the new parts, such as the rotating rear wing, which caused a stir this morning.
+++ Is Audi suddenly one of the problem children? +++
Gabriel Bortoleto has not been seen on the track in the Audi for more than half an hour. Are there any problems with the German factory team?
Yesterday Audi delivered a very solid day and completed its test laps without any major problems.
+++ Cadillac makes its comeback +++
Valtteri Bottas is now on track with the eye-catching measuring grilles in the Cadillac. Ferrari’s forced break, however, continues.
The asphalt has now warmed up to over 41 degrees. Fast lap times are currently not expected because the tires would be put under too much strain.
The best time is currently held by Lando Norris, who drove a lap of 1:33.453.
+++ Hamilton in need! Again problems at Ferrari +++
From Ferrari’s point of view, this day of testing, like yesterday, is not going according to plan: Lewis Hamilton was only able to complete five laps. The partition walls have now been put up in the garage, so there will probably be major work to be done on the car.
Meanwhile, Norris and Verstappen continue to take turns happily on P1. There are also improvements in lap times for the small teams.
But: Formula 1 newcomer Cadillac is still not visible on the track. The US team’s car is in the garage, at least it has large measuring grids.
+++ Verstappen strikes back +++
Champion and vice-champion are in a duel for best times: with 1:34.620, Verstappen is now just ahead of Norris again. Who takes the next trick?
+++ World champion Norris sets the best time +++
World champion Lando Norris gets off to a quick start in the McLaren – and sets a best time that is only a good second slower than Russell’s yesterday: 1:34.625.
Verstappen improves to 1:36.093. Alex Albon (Williams) completes the podium with a 1:36.700.
+++ A lot going on on the route +++
Ten of eleven Formula 1 teams send their drivers off in the first few minutes when the outside temperature is 21 degrees and the asphalt temperature is 31 degrees. Only Cadillac is missing. The Americans also had problems yesterday and only completed 59 laps in total.
Max Verstappen sets the first best time with 1:38.955. For comparison: The fastest lap yesterday came from George Russell in the Mercedes: 1:33.459.
It is expected to be significantly faster today.
+++ Which Formula 1 drivers will get into the car in Bahrain today? +++
In just a few minutes we’ll be back on track at the Bahrain International Circuit. These drivers are completing the two sessions today:
+++ What’s next for the Formula 1 test drives? +++
At the Bahrain International Circuit there will again be two blocks. The morning session runs from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., with another four-hour session in the afternoon between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Only one car per racing team is active at a time, and the teams use their drivers differently. Usually one pilot takes on the morning shift, the other is on duty in the afternoon.
At Red Bull, however, there was recently a case where the same driver took part in both sessions.
+++ What is the balance of power in Formula 1? +++
It is not yet possible to say clearly who will be ahead in Formula 1 this year. During the first test drives in Barcelona in January, Mercedes set an exclamation mark and started a debate about the legality of its own engine innovation.
Last week in Bahrain, Red Bull showed itself to be in good early form. On Wednesday, however, there was a close head-to-head race between Mercedes and McLaren. George Russell and Oscar Piastri were only separated by a hundredth of a second there in the afternoon.
+++ Worries at Ferrari, Audi sets an exclamation mark +++
Meanwhile, there were plenty of worries at Ferrari on Wednesday. Lewis Hamilton spent over an hour in the pits in the afternoon session and was unable to test his car on the track.
At Aston Martin there was also a standstill after Lance Stroll triggered a red flag due to a defect. Ultimately, the Canadian was unable to take part in the final starting exercise. The day was similarly mixed for Cadillac.
Audi, on the other hand, presented itself very solidly. Gabriel Bortoleto made an exclamation mark with 10th place.