F1 Bahrain pre-season test - Day 1
Minute by minute updates on the opening day of the 2023 F1 Bahrain pre-season test
Testing starts on Thursday 23 February at 07:00 GMT (10:00 local time) and runs until Saturday. All three days follow the same schedule, with running taking place from 10:00 until 14:15, and from 15:15 until 19:30 (all local time), pausing for a lunch break.
All 10 teams are set to be in action for the Bahrain pre-season test, which is the only pre-season test ahead of the 2023 season.
More: F1 Bahrain test driver line-up
The Bahrain pre-season test will take place on 23-25 February ahead of the 2023 F1 season opener at the same venue, the Bahrain Grand Prix, on 3-5 March.
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You'd imagine that Adrian Newey would be rather happy with how today panned out, but the Red Bull man is rarely satisfied to settle and we are still in the very early days with much still to be worked out. We'll be back bright and early tomorrow to bring you all the updates as they happen out on track. Until then, thank you for joining us.
Breaking news
Here's the full report from day one of testing, topped by Max Verstappen and Red Bull: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/2023-f1-bahrain-test-verstappen-shades-alonso-to-top-opening-day-of-testing/10435581/
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A none-too shabby first day back at school for Nico Hulkenberg, who went completely under the radar. Whether that will be a good thing or not is one to determine next week.
Of those that only did one session, Nyck de Vries totalled an impressive 85 laps for AlphaTauri, shading Hamilton on 83, Sargeant on 75, Albon on 74, Sainz on 72 and Bottas on 71.
The final lap tally for Max Verstappen is a monster 157. That's 17 fewer than the GTE Pro-winning Porsche mustered in the 2021 6 Hours of Bahrain World Endurance Championship round, if you want a completely meaningless comparison.
So just 0.029s in it between Red Bull and Aston Martin. If this were next Saturday in Q3, you have our permission to get excited. But as this is only day one of testing, everything must still be taken with a pinch of salt for now.
There's some interesting exchanges on their final laps from Leclerc and de Vries, the AlphaTauri driver almost running into the back of the Ferrari into Turn 10 as he attempted to stay close onto the back straight. But no harm, no foul.
Checkered flag
The checkered flag is out, bringing an end to day one of testing with Max Verstappen fastest for Red Bull ahead of Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin.
One notable thing about that lap from Hamilton was there were a lot of sparks emanating from the underfloor of that W14. Always pleasing on the eye under the floodlights.
Hamilton it seems is running on the C1 hard tyres, so we're unlikely to see him trouble the top of the charts in the closing stages. The seven-time champion is sixth at present.
Norris after his delayed start to the session has now made it onto 40 laps, matching the lowest tally of the morning by Drugovich. So nobody it seems is really lagging desperately behind on mileage, which is encouraging given the limited time the teams have available to iron out issues before the first race.
Green flag
And sure enough, we're back to green now with less than 10 minutes of the opening day in testing to go. Leclerc emerges from the pits on a new set of the C3 tyres but with a set of strengthening bars attached from the front suspension to the front wing.
Safety car
The virtual safety car period is underway. Hopefully we'll be back to fully green running soon.
The shorts give the game away: he's a bit less busy than this time last year. Will we see new Mercedes reserve Mick Schumacher back on an F1 grid next year?
Alonso has re-emerged from a visit to the pits to have some day-glo paint added to the right-hand side of his car.
Yellow flag
Yellow flags are out, but we expect this to be another virtual safety car test rather than a sign of a problem for somebody out on track.
It's rare you see an error from Alonso, so great is his experience, but the Aston driver makes a bit of a hash of Turn 1 with a lock up that sends him deep into the runoff area.
Stopwatch
Just over 15 minutes to go then, and Lando Norris is turning up the heat. He posts a 1m33.462s to move his McLaren into fifth, slotting in ahead of Hamilton.
As we follow Bottas around the lap, it's with a tinge of regret that we face the prospect of this being Alfa Romeo's last season in F1 as its title sponsorship of the Sauber team heads towards its close. So where does its latest creation rank against its best lookers? I'll admit to being a sucker for the Benetton-liveried 184T of 1984. Here it's pictured en-route to third at Monza with Riccardo Patrese at the wheel.
Alonso goes for another push lap on the C3 tyres, and keeps it nailed even as he runs wide on the exit of the final corner, but drops two tenths after improving in his middle sector to end up two tenths shy of his previous best.
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De Vries has quietly gone about logging his times and getting through his run plan. No frills, but the Dutchman won't mind as he is finally able to call an F1 car his own.
Does anybody else get early '90s Tyrrell vibes from the new AlphaTauri? A much more equal balance of white and dark blue on its colour scheme than in previous years. Here's Andrea de Cesaris in 1992 for reference.
Sargeant's Williams is now on track looking like it's been crashed through the paint aisle at Wickes. When F1 liveries are so carefully thought out, liberally-applied luminous flow-vis is always amusingly un-F1...
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Has anybody gotten used to Alonso's lid in an Aston yet? I certainly haven't. The 2005, 2006 and 2010 Bahrain GP winner has got to be pleased with his day so far, even if fuel loads remain a question mark.
Norris does improve but stays eighth on a 1m33.880s, 1.043s down on Verstappen's benchmark.
Norris on the C3 tyres is on a personal best right now, although would have had it disallowed on the GP weekend proper as he ran with all four wheels over the white line on the exit of Turn 4.
With Alonso's purple third sector factored in, the optimal lap with the three best sector times combined is a 1m32.591s - so clearly plenty of time in the pocket for Red Bull and others likewise to pursue.
The entire field is split by 2.2 seconds with just over 40 minutes to go, with Kevin Magnussen currently bringing up the rear in 19th. Sergio Perez of course hasn't turned a lap today with Max Verstappen claiming sole occupancy of the Red Bull. He's now on 140 laps logged, a marathon effort.
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As you may have seen from some of the close up on-board shots, Bottas has got a new helmet for testing. We approve, frankly.
Stopwatch
Not content to let Alonso grab the limelight, Leclerc responds with a 1m33.267s to go up to fourth in the Ferrari, nestling in just behind team-mate Sainz's effort from earlier on.
Stopwatch
Now there's an eye-opening time from Alonso. The Spaniard pumps in a 1m32.866s to put his Aston second-quickest, just 0.029s down on Verstappen. And it's a fastest final sector too.
Still, probably not as unusual as Narain Karthikeyan returning to F1 in 2011 with HRT after racing NASCAR Trucks the previous year. George Follmer arriving in F1 from Can-Am is another out-there example. Any more for any more?
In De Vries and Sargeant, we've got two rookies on the grid this year who have both raced LMP2 cars in the European Le Mans Series in recent years. No, we're not suggesting that is the new proving ground for F1 aspirants, but it's an interesting stat all the same.
That's not to say there aren't any improvers out there currently. AlphaTauri new boy Nyck de Vries has set a new personal best in 13th, a 1m34.559s for the Dutchman, who starts his first full season after his cameo at Monza with Williams last year.
The fastest third sector time remains Sainz's from the morning session. That covers effectively the final two corners and two fairly long straights, suggesting there's a fair bit of lift and coast still going on there as teams avoid showing their hands too early.
Lando Norris has languished near the bottom of the times for much of the day, but now the McLaren team leader pops up in the top eight with a 1m34.097s.
Turn 10 is always a corner that catches drivers out, and Logan Sargeant becomes the latest to lock up his left-front and run out wide. The Williams man is up in ninth currently, although yet to match the pace set this morning by team-mate Alex Albon.
Max Verstappen remains on top, where he has been since a little before the end of the morning session. His neck is showing no signs of giving up as he begins his 135th lap of the day, and he's currently lapping in the high 1m35s.
Here we go then, the sun has gone down and we're fully under the floodlights for the final hour and a bit of day one. Will anybody turn up the wick for a headline-grabbing glory run?
For the last time today, it is time to hand over the controls - this time to James Newbold. One hour to go!
By: Autosport Staff
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