The last test drives before the start of the Formula 1 season next week start at the Bahrain International Circuit at the same location today.
How are Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team and Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes squad doing? What tear Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin? What innovations are there, which hot topics are circulating off the track in the paddock?
All information, best times and highlights are available here sport.de in the live ticker.
+++ 10:37 a.m .: Pérez in second place +++
The Red Bull driver is 1,716 seconds slower than Leclerc.
+++ 10:32 a.m .: Norris very carefully +++
As soon as the drivers push themselves to the limit on the track, a number of braking problems follow. Norris has now opted for a very careful, slow but also clean lap.
+++ 10:31 a.m .: Pilots celebrate reunion +++
+++ 10:28 a.m.: Norris simulates the start +++
The Brit positioned himself at the end of the pit lane to drive onto the track from a standing start.
+++ 10:26 a.m .: Can Haas test on Sunday? +++
According to information from “Auto Motor und Sport”, there is a possibility that Haas may catch up on half a session on Sunday that was canceled on Thursday morning. The fact that the US racing team was only able to start in the afternoon was solely due to the disrupted freight operations.
+++ 10:24 a.m .: Albon advances +++
The Williams driver is third after his latest lap and is 2.047 seconds slower than Leclerc. It was noticeable that the car kept hitting the ground extremely hard.
+++ 10:18 a.m.: Zhou stops +++
Now the rookie is at the beginning of the pit lane and apparently cannot continue. The pilot got out and the pit crew is now taking care of the car. The Alfa Romeo was quickly covered up so the competition can’t get too many looks at the car.
+++ 10:17 a.m .: Alpine does a few laps +++
There wasn’t much to see from Esteban Ocon today. He is currently the only pilot doing his laps.
+++ 10:15 a.m .: Small moment of shock at Zhou +++
The Alfa Romeo driver almost lost control of his car in turn 11, but was able to catch the car again.
+++ 10:13 a.m .: Magnussen meets old friends +++
+++ 10:01 a.m .: Vettel blocks the front wheels +++
In the final corner, the Aston Martin driver caused a lot of smoke after he mis-braked and completely locked the front wheels.
+++ 9:56 a.m .: Hamilton does not get the curve mastered +++
Despite his first sensible lap, the Brit made a bad braking mistake again in the hairpin. Hamilton has probably never driven the curve confidently once. But he is by no means the only pilot who has problems here. Vettel caught it again shortly afterwards.
+++ 9:52 a.m .: Leclerc improves his time, Hamilton speaks up +++
Top 3: 1. Leclerc: 1:34.531; 2. Hamilton: 1:36.365; 3. Perez 1:136:581
+++ 9:49 a.m.: Pérez on the road a lot +++
After the Mexican had problems with the gearbox in Barcelona, he completed a number of laps in Bahrain on Thursday morning. He’s already done about 30 laps.
+++ 9:47 a.m.: The differences on the W13 compared to the last test +++
+++ 9:43 a.m .: rear wing problems at Norris? +++
When the Briton was in the DRS zone, the flap immediately opened and closed again before the rear wing finally opened again. That might not have been the intention.
+++ 9:39 a.m .: Hamilton and Vettel in action +++
+++ 9:35 a.m.: Always the same place +++
The combination of turns 9-10 worries almost all pilots today. Now Albon also misbraked badly and came off the track.
+++ 9:32 a.m .: Pérez in front of Vettel, Hamilton with problems +++
The Red Bull driver is slightly faster than the four-time world champion, but still 0.628 seconds slower than Leclerc. Hamilton, meanwhile, continues to have problems on the track. The Briton quickly returns to the pits.
+++ 9:29 a.m .: Vettel with the second best time +++
Despite some problems in the first corners, Vettel is now second behind Leclerc and is 0.684 seconds slower than the Ferrari driver. The Aston Martin still seems to understeer again and again.
+++ 9:27 a.m .: Vettel with a special helmet because of Ukraine +++
+++ 9:23 a.m .: Haas announces use in the next session +++
+++ 9:18 am: Sam Collins, technical analyst, on the Aston Martin +++
“There is a wavy element at the center of the Aston Martin’s underbody. These new floor edges are designed to seal the sides of the floor to generate more downforce.”
+++ 9:13 a.m.: Zhou with problems +++
The rookie got it too. The Alfa driver went off the track briefly, but was able to catch his car again.
+++ 9:08 a.m.: W13 was taped +++
At Hamilton, an attempt was made to tape the exhaust valves behind the side box, but the tape quickly came off and is now flapping on the car. That shouldn’t be the intention.
+++ 9:02 a.m .: Horner shoots against Mercedes +++
Compared to “Auto Motor und Sport”, the Red Bull boss is said to have fired sharply at his direct competitor. “The new Mercedes violates the spirit of the regulations. For us, some parts are not legal,” he is said to have complained.
+++ 8:59 a.m.: Gasly and Albon on the route +++
After a short dry spell, two cars are on the road again.
+++ 8:55 a.m.: Another look at the W13 +++
+++ 8:53 a.m .: Norris back in the garage +++
So currently nobody is on the track.
+++ 8:50 a.m.: Magnussen already on site +++
Haas only announced the return of Kevin Magnussen on Wednesday evening and now he is already on site in Sakhir. He should have adjusted his seat and made further preparations for his first outing in the coming days.
+++ 8:48 a.m.: Not much going on on the route +++
Only Zhou consistently drives a few laps. But now Norris has come onto the track for the first time.
+++ 8:45 a.m.: A look at the new Haas +++
+++ 8:42 a.m .: The current best times +++
The times don’t say too much yet, because only six drivers have even completed a full lap and didn’t really push themselves to the limit. The best three times so far: 1. Leclerc: 1:35.953, 2. Vettel: 1:37.945, 3. Pérez: 1:37.950
+++ 8:39 a.m .: Rookie collects kilometers +++
Guanyu Zhou, who has stepped up from Formula 2 and competes for Alfa Romeo, is also on the track.
+++ 8:36 a.m.: hustle and bustle at the Mercedes garage +++
The sidepods on the new W13 are the biggest talking point in Bahrain. Many photographers are currently in the pit lane at last year’s Constructors’ World Champion to get a snapshot of it.
+++ 8:33 a.m .: Many small mistakes on the route +++
Again and again Vettel can be seen going off the track and obviously having problems with his car. Pérez is also struggling with the new Red Bull.
+++ 8:29 a.m .: Vettel exit in the video +++
+++ 8:26 a.m .: McLaren is a long time coming +++
In addition to Haas, which can only start in the afternoon due to freight problems, McLaren has not yet been seen on the track. All other teams were already on the track, even if it’s not too busy yet.
+++ 8:23 a.m .: Red Bull starts +++
Sergio Pérez is now also on the track. His teammate and world champion Max Verstappen is observing the action in a good mood from the pit lane.
+++ 8:19 a.m .: Albon in Williams +++
After switching from George Russell to Mercedes, Alexander Albon is celebrating his comeback in Formula 1. He is currently using sensors to test the air in the area of the diffuser in the new Williams.
+++ 8:15 a.m.: “Porpoising” at Hamilton +++
Hamilton struggles again with Turn 10. In addition, a strong “porpoising” can be seen with him. Due to the high contact pressure, the new cars like to jump up and down on the straights. All teams are struggling with this and need to find a solution to it. Ferrari has shown the greatest progress so far.
+++ 8:10 a.m.: The new Mercedes without the side boxes +++
+++ 8:09 a.m.: Exit 10 causes problems +++
Both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel both brake in the same place. The pilots are still looking for their rhythm.
+++ 8:07 a.m .: Ricciardo is missing +++
According to the team, the Australian feels unwell and will be represented by Norris today.
+++ 8:03 a.m.: These pilots are behind the wheel today +++
Mercedes: Hamilton/Russell; Red Bull: Perez; Ferrari: Leclerc/Sainz; McLarren: Norris; Alpine: Ocon/Alonso; AlphaTauri: Gasly; Aston Martin: Vettel/Stroll; Williams: Albon; Alfa Romeo: Zhou/Bottas; Haas: Fittipaldi
+++ 7:31 a.m .: This is the procedure for the Formula 1 tests in Bahrain +++
The Formula 1 racing teams in Bahrain have three days to put the finishing touches on their cars before the start of the season. Testing will take place on Thursday (March 10), Friday (March 11) and Saturday (March 12).
As usual, a morning and an afternoon session await the drivers and their teams every day of the week. Driving is between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. in the morning and between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the afternoon.
+++ 7:29 a.m .: Chaos at Haas +++
In his debut season, Mick Schumacher had to learn a lot and had to operate at the end of the field with an uncompetitive car. He confidently kept his ex-teammate Nikita Mazepin in check and is determined to get his first points in Formula 1 this year. Haas presented himself quite well in Barcelona, but also had to struggle with technical problems again and again. The important tests in Bahrain also get off to a bad start for the US racing team: Because a cargo plane that was supposed to bring parts of the cars to Bahrain has technical problems, the test for Haas on Thursday morning is canceled. Schumacher and Pietro Fittipaldi only go on the track with a delay.
+++ 7:23 a.m .: Aston Martin and Vettel want to take the next step +++
From a German perspective, last season was rather disappointing. After moving from Ferrari to Aston Martin, Sebastian Vettel temporarily had major problems on the track and, with the exception of a few highlights, such as his 2nd place in Baku, was not able to celebrate any major successes. This year, the British racing team wants to take the next step forward, regularly score points and fight for podium places. So far, Aston Martin has done decent tests, but is far from an inspiring spirit of optimism.
+++ 7:15 a.m .: Will Mercedes and Red Bull remain the top teams? +++
After seven world championships in a row, won by Mercedes drivers, Max Verstappen was able to break the dominance of the Silver Arrows last December and celebrate his first world title. It was a spectacular finale that could change the sport forever with its drama. But what about this year? Both RedBull and Mercedes poured a lot of resources into the title fight, while other teams had their eyes set on this season earlier. Ferrari and McLaren in particular made a good impression in the tests so far. There is a realistic chance that the two traditional teams could move much closer to the top again.
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