Daniel Ricciardo led the first practice session of the Bahrain GP for the newly named RB team, but the early pecking order in the 2024 Formula 1 season remained unclear after the first hour of competitive running.
Just six days after the conclusion of pre-season testing at the same circuit, F1’s 20 drivers and their new cars hit the Bahrain International Circuit once more, with Ricciardo topping the timesheets for the former AlphaTauri team.
Ricciardo used the soft tyre to set a best time of 1.32.869, narrowly beating McLaren’s Lando Norris who also used the same compound. Their team-mates, Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda, followed in third and fourth place respectively, also using the soft tyre.
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin was the fastest runner on medium tyres in fifth place, with world champion Max Verstappen in sixth for Red Bull.
RB and McLaren led the times after using the soft tyre, while competitors behind stayed close despite using the medium compound. Valtteri Bottas of Sauber was the only other driver on the soft tyre with a competitive time.
As Practice Two approaches live on Sky Sports F1, the focus will be on unlocking the full potential of the cars, especially for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Bahrain GP weekend unfolds!
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