The last day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain is approaching and with it the final chance to prepare for the season that begins on Saturday next week. Who will let their pants down on Friday and show the full potential of their F1 car? sport.de follows the entire test day in detail in the live blog.
+++ Those responsible are thinking about an extension +++
While in the background – like yesterday – people are thinking about providing an extra hour in the afternoon, it is now clear (just after nine o’clock CET time) that it will take at least another 30 minutes before things continue.
+++ TV hammer: Steiner new Formula 1 expert +++
The cat is out of the bag, former Haas team boss Günther Steiner will be in front of the microphones as an expert for RTL in the 2024 season. Alongside presenter Florian König, Steiner will analyze the racing for RTL for the first time at the season opener on March 1st and 2nd in Bahrain. All information about this can be found here!
+++ 30 minutes are already missing +++
The anger within Formula 1 is growing. The test time has already been severely shortened, and now more valuable minutes are missing due to the renewed problems on the curbs in front of Turn 11.
Not to forget: A Formula 1 race is scheduled to take place here in just over a week at the same location.
+++ Duration is completely open so far – what now? +++
It’s not just F1 that has problems, we also couldn’t be reached due to technical difficulties. Hopefully this has now been fixed. Things look different on the track. Welding machines and other tools are used to work on the curb. How long this will take is still completely unclear. It is quite possible that the second session will also be extended today.
Meanwhile, the teams are using the break to carry out further work on the cars. In many garages the covers have been removed from the cars and screws are being screwed on.
The race management has not yet announced when it can continue.
+++ Red flag +++
That is impossible! Once again, part of the curb on the track came loose. The cars are back in the garage, the session is interrupted for the time being. This time it was Perez who was “to blame” because he hit the curb with his car – in the same place as Charles Leclerc yesterday.
+++ Big TV surprise is coming +++
As part of the recently announced content partnership with Sky Deutschland, RTL will broadcast seven races live on free TV in the season starting soon. It was still unclear who would actually report on the F1 races as an expert alongside presenter Florian König. But that’s about to change. RTL will soon reveal who will delight viewers with their assessments. The voltage increases!
+++ Seven drivers busy +++
While Sainz, Lando Norris, Alex Albon, Perez, Kevin Magnussen, Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo have already collected their first kilometers and, above all, their first tangible times, Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon have not yet recorded any notable laps. Only a brief glimpse could be seen.
+++ Sainz sets the first exclamation mark +++
Carlos Sainz is still a long way from his 1:29.921 from yesterday, but with a few quick attempts, which have now resulted in a 1:32.017, he has at least made his first exclamation mark and put himself at the top of the rankings C4 tires, i.e. a fairly soft compound.
+++ Confirmed: These are the drivers of the morning session +++
Red Bull doesn’t want to waste any time, Sergio Perez is already doing the first laps, and Lance Stroll is already on the road in his Aston Martin car. This is the confirmed line-up for the early session:
Red Bull: Sergio Perez
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari: Carlos Sainz
McLaren: Lando Norris
Aston Martin: Lance Stroll
Alpine: Esteban Ocon
Williams: Alex Albon
Racing Bulls: Daniel Ricciardo
Clean: Valtteri Bottas
Haas: Kevin Magnussen
+++ Here we go +++
The traffic light has turned green and the Bahrain International Circuit is open. The teams have four hours until their lunch break. And McLaren apparently starts the day with a racing simulation.
+++ A look at the weather +++
The sun is shining in Bahrain, just before 10 a.m. local time the thermometer is already showing 20.5 degrees and the track temperature is 26 degrees. One factor is the wind: how nice yesterday there was a gusty wind, which usually came from the side at the start/finish.
+++ Is this pecking order confirmed? +++
British F1 reporter Will Buxton created an initial, “cautious” pecking order after the second day of testing:
- Red Bull
- Ferrari
- McLaren
- Mercedes
- Aston Martin
- Racing Bulls
- Alpine
- Clean
- Williams
- Haas
Let’s see whether this balance of power is confirmed today. If so, it would be a slap in the face, especially for Mercedes and Alpine.
+++ Is Red Bull way ahead again? +++
Red Bull seems to have achieved another great success with the RB20. On the first day, Max Verstappen was already racing ahead of everyone. Yesterday Sergio Perez only came second, but he ate up a lot of kilometers and put in an extremely consistent long run on hard tires. Legendary reporter Michael Schmidt from “auto motor und sport” came along last night with – from a neutral perspective – worrying news. Mercedes is assuming a Red Bull lead of one second, Williams engineers of half a second, he reported from the paddock.
+++ Is the balance of power changing today? +++
Usually the teams show the real potential of their cars for the first time on the last day of testing, or at least hint at it. So today we should be able to draw our first conclusions about the balance of power before the start of the season in a week. Yesterday Ferrari with Carlos Sainz set a superior best time. In the paddock, however, it is assumed that Red Bull continues to clearly play first fiddle.
+++ These drivers sit in the cockpit on the last day of testing +++
After the postponements on Thursday, it is not yet entirely clear who will contest the last two sessions on Friday. Some teams are still thinking about rescheduling because yesterday was thrown into such disarray by the problems with the curbs. According to the official announcement, these drivers are scheduled, but are subject to change:
Red Bull: Sergio Perez/Max Verstappen
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton/George Russell
Ferrari: Carlos Sainz/Charles Leclerc
McLaren: Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri
Aston Martin: Lance Stroll/Fernando Alonso
Alpine: Esteban Ocon/Pierre Gasly
Williams: Alex Albon
Racing Bulls: Daniel Ricciardo/Yuki Tsunoda
Clean: Valtteri Bottas/Guanyu Zhou
Haas: Kevin Magnussen/Nico Hülkenberg
+++ There isn’t much time left until the first Grand Prix +++
On March 2nd, just over a week from now, the first World Championship points for teams and drivers will be at stake at the same location on the International Circuit in Bahrain. Attention: Unlike usual, Formula 1 is running the big race on Saturday, the first training sessions begin on Thursday.
The reason lies in the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on March 10th. That’s why the second Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia (March 9) will take place on Saturday. The start in Bahrain was moved forward to Saturday in order to have enough time to move from one desert state to the other.
+++ Eight hours are on the program +++
After there were unforeseen problems on the route on Thursday and thus changes to the schedule, on Friday – like on Wednesday – the race will continue as normal in two four-hour blocks. It starts from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. After a lunch break, things get back to business from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Especially in the last hour, many teams like to let the engines run to the limit to test the maximum.