Max Verstappen qualified on pole, but Charles Leclerc could have gone fastest were it not for a strategic blunder (never heard that before!) from Ferrari.
The unpredictability of the first race of the season is something that F1 fans crave, but will the weather also throw an extra curveball into the mix?
Bahrain plays host to the first race of the 2024 season
Bahrain Grand Prix weather forecast
Saturday
The first grand prix of the season takes place on a Saturday this year, in a move brought about by the holy month of Ramadan beginning on Sunday 10th March, the day that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was originally scheduled for.
The strong winds present during the first two days of the event will have abated by Saturday evening local time, with the race set to start in cool night conditions. Temperatures will be around 20 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.
Once again, there is a less than five per cent chance of precipitation during the course of the race.