Mercedes spark tension with upgrades as Leclerc tops first session of Bahrain test
Mercedes spark tension with upgrades as Leclerc tops first session of Bahrain test
Charles Leclerc topped the first session of the Bahrain pre-season test as teams continued to rack up mileage ahead of the new campaign.
The Ferrari driver set a lap time of one minute, 34.531secs around halfway through the morning's running on his way to completing 64 laps.
The main focus of the first four hours has been the radical upgrade to Mercedes' sidepods, with the W13 featuring what Ross Brawn has described as "disappearing sidepods".
After the first test in Barcelona, which was largely used as an extended shakedown for teams, upgrades to cars were added in preparation for next weekend's first race of the year at the same venue.
But the field will have to wait a little longer for high-performance running and with it, the first hints of a pecking order.
Alex Albon finished the morning second fastest for Williams, half-a-second slower than Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton added 61 laps to his name in the eye-catching Mercedes, almost two seconds down on the pacesetter.
Red Bull enjoyed a healthy morning as Sergio Perez completed 69 laps, with all of the team's drama coming off the circuit as team principal Christian Horner sparked debate in the paddock with an 'unofficial' comment on the legality of Mercedes' design.
Sebastian Vettel finished third and completed 38 laps for Aston Martin, despite a number of curious escapades as a result of brake lock-ups.
In fact, the only major issue experienced all morning was by McLaren, with work taking place around the brakes in the last hour of the session. Lando Norris completed just 21 laps having taken duties over from the unwell Daniel Ricciardo.
Esteban Ocon got Alpine back on track after the team's fiery end to the Barcelona test with 42 laps, whilst Guanyu Zhou continued his preparations for his rookie season with 53 laps under his belt for Alfa Romeo.
Pierre Gasly was the slowest of the morning's runners, completing 44 laps in the AlphaTauri AT03.
Haas test driver Pietro Fittipaldi will emerge in the afternoon with the team missing the morning due to freight delays earlier in the week.
Bahrain pre-season test - Day one morning results
1. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - 1:34.531 [64 laps]
2. Alex Albon [Williams] - +0.539secs [53]
3. Sebastian Vettel [Aston Martin] - +1.175s [38]
4. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - +1.446s [69]
5. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +1.834s [61]
6. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] - +2.237s [42]
7. Guanyu Zhou [Alfa Romeo] - +2.633s [53]
8. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +3.049s [21]
9. Pierre Gasly [AlphaTauri] - +3.357s [44]
10. Pietro Fittipaldi [Haas] - No time [0]
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Audi agree STAR driver contract as Mercedes driver tipped for new F1 seat THIS season - GPFans F1 Recap
- 3 hours ago
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
- Yesterday 22:57
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
- Yesterday 21:57
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- Yesterday 17:57
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- Yesterday 20:57
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
Red Bull lead the way as reliability concerns arise - How F1 teams fared in testing
Mercedes radical design triggers Horner concerns of F1 "mirror war"
Mercedes and McLaren play catch up to Red Bull and Ferrari - What we learned at second test
Verstappen throws down gauntlet - complete F1 2022 pre-season test results
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860