Introducing the latest results from the first day of testing for the 2024 season, broadcast live from the Bahrain International Circuit.
After a long winter filled with off-track intrigue, 2024 Formula 1 returned to life on Wednesday as 10 teams headed to the Bahrain International Circuit to begin three days of pre-season testing.
Each team is allowed to run one car on the track, with driving duties set to be split over three days between two racing drivers.
F1 Test Results – Bahrain (Day 1)
At 10am local time in Bahrain, most of the 10 cars lined up at the end of the pit lane and took to the track to begin the test program.
It was a normal morning run with no major breakdowns or incidents until Alex Albon was forced to end the morning session a little early due to reliability issues.
Despite a shaky start in the RB20, Max Verstappen set the day’s top time with a time of 1 minute 32.548 seconds. Due to the windy conditions surrounding the circuit, car handling proved difficult for the Dutch driver.
Behind Verstappen, Charles Leclerc was second, seven tenths behind Red Bull, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was third.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took fourth ahead of the impressive Yuki Tsunoda as his VCRB01 proved quick after coming out of the box early in the morning.
Most teams improved their times in the morning, but one notable absentee for much of the session was Mercedes’ George Russell. After completing just 19 laps in the first three hours, Russell doubled his number of laps and added more in the final hour before the lunch break.
F1 2024 Test Live: Follow all the latest updates from Bahrain day one
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:32.548 66
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.699 64
3 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.837 77
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren +1.110 57
5 Hiroki Tsunoda RB+1.588 64
6 George Russell Mercedes +1.682 48
7 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber +1.883 68
8 Alexander Albon Williams +2.039 40
9 Esteban OCON Alpen +2.129 60
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas F1 Team +3.144 66
Read next: F1 2024 Test: What is the test driver line-up for each team in Bahrain?
