In the season-opening test session for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo emerged as the fastest driver for the newly rebranded RB team. Yet, the session did little to clarify the competitive standings for 2024.
Just six days after the end of pre-season testing at the same venue, the Formula 1 grid returned to the Bahrain International Circuit, with the session concluding with an unexpected team leading the timesheets.
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Ricciardo, among the few to opt for the fastest soft tyres, recorded a time of 1:32.869, driving for the team previously known as AlphaTauri. He narrowly edged McLaren’s Lando Norris, also on soft compounds, by a mere 0.032 seconds.
Their teammates, Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda, secured third and fourth places, respectively, setting their best times on the softest tyres available.
Fernando Alonso was the fastest driver on medium tyres, placing fifth overall for Aston Martin and trailing Ricciardo by just 0.3 seconds, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen in sixth for Red Bull.
Verstappen, who dominated last season with 19 wins out of 22 races, expressed dissatisfaction with the RB20 car’s handling under the challenging desert conditions. He remarked that the setup felt significantly off during his initial track session despite leading the timesheets at one point.
George Russell led the Mercedes team in seventh place, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in eighth, with Lewis Hamilton, set to join Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025, in ninth for Mercedes.
Given the variability inherent in practice sessions, particularly for Bahrain’s first and third sessions conducted during the day as opposed to the more critical evening sessions under cooler, floodlit conditions, Thursday’s practice offered a continuation of the previous week’s testing, allowing teams to further adjust and understand their 2024 designs and carry out specific testing and setup evaluations.
First Practice Results
2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, 29 February 2024
| Pos. | Driver | Number | Team | Fastest Lap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Ricciardo | 3 | RB | 1:32.869 | 23 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 4 | McLaren | 1:32.901 | 25 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | 81 | McLaren | 1:33.113 | 25 |
| 4 | Yuki Tsunoda | 22 | RB | 1:33.183 | 24 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | 14 | Aston Martin | 1:33.193 | 20 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 1 | Red Bull | 1:33.238 | 21 |
| 7 | George Russell | 63 | Mercedes | 1:33.251 | 25 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | 16 | Ferrari | 1:33.268 | 24 |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | 44 | Mercedes | 1:33.302 | 22 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | 77 | Sauber | 1:33.354 | 21 |
| 11 | Carlos Sainz | 55 | Ferrari | 1:33.385 | 26 |
| 12 | Sergio Perez | 11 | Red Bull | 1:33.413 | 24 |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | 23 | Williams | 1:33.583 | 17 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | 18 | Aston Martin | 1:33.868 | 20 |
| 15 | Zhou Guanyu | 24 | Sauber | 1:33.923 | 16 |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant | 2 | Williams | 1:34.213 | 19 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | 31 | Alpine | 1:34.807 | 21 |
| 18 | Pierre Gasly | 10 | Alpine | 1:35.144 | 24 |
| 19 | Kevin Magnussen | 20 | Haas | 1:37.477 | 25 |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg | 27 | Haas | 1:37.938 | 27 |
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