Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, Bahrain, Tests, Lewis Hamilton (Source: Mercedes-Benz Media)
SAKHIR, Bahrain — The crazy off-season between the end of the 2023 season and the start of the 2024 season for Formula 1 is finally upon the drivers and teams in the paddock after testing sessions the week prior put complete focus on the first race of the year, the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The Bahrain International Circuit is a 3.363-mile long track in Sakhir, Bahrain, opened in 2004 and has hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix every year since 2004, outside of 2011. The circuit also hosted a second race, the Sakhir Grand Prix, in 2020 on the “Outer Circuit,” which had the first sub-one-second lap times since the 1970s. The World Endurance Championship also visits Bahrain for their 8 Hours of Bahrain season finale.
As the first Grand Prix of the year occurs shortly after the Winter Testing at the same track, upgrades made to cars by teams are expected to be minimal as teams hope to see if their initial concepts for their vehicles can provide good results in this first Grand Prix.
Teams entered the first Grand Prix of the year with the hardest compound tire selections Pirelli offers, the C1, C2, and C3, to handle Bahrain’s high-temperature fluctuations. Low track evolution throughout the race means that the 57-lap Grand Prix gives teams multiple options for pit strategy on race day, where a two-stop strategy was seen as the favorite going in.
Just a week after pre-season testing concluded, Formula 1 returns to Sakhir. C1, C2 and C3 are the nominated compounds for the first round of the 2024 season. This weekend's race will mark 20th Bahrain Grand Prix. 🏁#Fit4F1 #Formula1 @Pirelli @F1 pic.twitter.com/xtdzyMg40l
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) February 29, 2024
Due to a schedule change that accommodates the start of Ramadan on Mar. 10, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will happen a week after the Bahrain Grand Prix. Rules state that Grand Prix races must start seven days between each Grand Prix. Because of that, the Bahrain Grand Prix is being run on a Saturday instead of the traditional Sunday.
Starting on a Thursday, teams were ready to get going for the opening practices of the Bahrain Grand Prix. While the Grand Prix is considered a night race, and only one of the three practice sessions will mimic the same conditions for race day, any and all practice is a good thing.
Once the lights go out on the pit lane, teams are ready to go. As the first laps started to trickle in, a familiar face returned to the top of the timing charts — reigning three-time World Champion, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen.
Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) Visa Cash App RB VCARB 01 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on February 29, 2024, in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
However, as the session wore on, a handful of teams moved to the Soft compound tires to practice some qualifying runs early. Visa Cash App RB’s Daniel Ricciardo made his way to the top of the timing sheets and stayed there through the end of the session, along with the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri behind and Ricciardo’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda sandwiching the McLaren duo. Meanwhile, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso closed out the top five.
Soon, the bright sunlight faded away, and the track lights turned on as a more representative session to the next day’s qualifying rounds, and the Grand Prix began with the second practice. For teams who did not run on the soft tires in the first round (a majority of the field outside of Visa Cash App RB, McLaren, and Kick Sauber), they turned out in the second practice with the Soft tires, and times truly started to fall.
Seven-time World Champion, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, wound up at the top of the timing charts, a sight that was a bright surprise for his fans after a handful of tumultuous seasons.
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, Bahrain, Tests, Lewis Hamilton (Source: Mercedes-Benz Media)
The other Mercedes of George Russell followed behind his teammate, ahead of the Aston Martin of Alonso, with the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and the McLaren of Piastri rounding out the Top 5. The expected favorite, Verstappen, ended both sessions in sixth, a surprise coming from how dominant he was the previous year.
However, Verstappen believes times will start to get closer as qualifying gets closer, stating, “But it’s going to be very close, I think, in qualifying, so that I think’s going to be very nice. The long run, I was a bit happier about that, but there’s a few little things we can do better.”
With the first two rounds of practice complete, teams now have a day to look over data before the final round of practice and qualifying to set the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix. It has become exciting to see if Mercedes and Hamilton can keep up the pace or if Red Bull and Verstappen will return to form at the top of the grid.
