F1 testing ahead of the 2024 season is finally here with three days of running at the𝔉 Bahrain international Circuit.
It's the first time we will get to see all 10 tea♊ms run their new challengers in anger as they prepare for the new campaign.
T🐽hat's a wrap on the opening day of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Have we just had a glimpse of what to expect from this coming season?
We will 💜continue our live coverage of testing tomorrow morning from 6:30am, with the action getting underway at 7am UK time.
The chequered flag is waved and that conclu🐎des the opening day of pre-seas൩on testing.
🌄Day one belongs to reigning world chℱampion Max Verstappen, who was a full second clear of the pack.
Just 15 m𓃲inutes of running on the opening day 💫of testing remain. Will anybody strap on a set of soft tyres for some late performance runs?
Verstappen ⛎has found more time on his latest run - still on the C3 compound. 🎉;
It's 👍a 1m31.344s for the reigning world champion, which puts him 1.140s clear of the field...
Worth remembering these are the be🐻st conditions of 🍬the day.
Sargeant is yet to emerge from the Williams garage aꦍfter pitting with a suspect🔜ed driveshaft issue.
The American had the most 🌟dramatic moment of the day an hour or so ago when he suffered a huge spin at Turn 9 and ended up taking a trip through the g🐠ravel.
With little over 30 minutes remaining, will Williams man𝔉age to get him back out again today?
Norris locks up big time heading into Turn 9, but the McLaren driver scoops up his car and manages to just about keep it under control and on track, a♕voiding further drama.
V🅰erstappen briefly follows Russell on track before la🅷unching one down the inside of the Mercedes driver into Turn 13.
We are heading into ꦺthe final hour of running on the first day of testing in 2024♍.
Will we get to s🐠ee any performance runs towa🔯rds the end of the day?
Verstappen has gone eve🐻n quicker by posting a 1m31.662s on the C3 compounꦺd.
The Dutchman has also surpassed a centur💯y of laps f🤡or the day.
McLaren for the title? Well it'🙈s🍷 early days but Norris has taken to the top with a 1m32.484s, 0.084s ahead of Verstappen.
Ve﷽rstappen still leads the way on a 1m32.548s, less than a tenth ahead of Sainz who has slotted into seco𝓡nd-fastest.
Norris, Leclerc, Alonso, Piastri, Russell, Tsunoda,♍ Zhou and Bottas complet🥀e the top 10.
Expect times to k꧅eep on getting quicker as the track grips up and the temperatures start to come down in Bahrain.
The session will finish under the floodlights - so keep an eye 🀅out for more performance runs at the end of the day.
Toto Wolff has b𒁃een speaking to the media in B💫ahrain
You can read what he said here...
Here's Zhou Guanyu on track for the first time today, sporting a splash of 🐷flow-vis paint on ඣthe side of his Sauber.
After taking over from te🤡ammate Leclerc, Sainz is on the move and has slotted into fouܫrth overall.
The Sp♊aniard is currently 0.838s off Verstappen's benchmark from earlie💦r.
Hulkenb♏erg is the only other driver out on track currently.
Anthony Davidson told Sky: "Aston Martin looked pretty nice at Turn One. F🌸ernando Alonso was able to hook it up well, get good rotation into the car and then have a steady rear end when it accelerated💞 through the exit
"The Red Bull at that time seemed to suffer a bit of understeer mid-corner of Turn One but then had really good rear stability t💜hrough Turn Two as you pick up the speed. So two different characteristics from th⛎at car in the space of two corners."
Just three laps completed by Ge▨orge Russell before he goes back into the pits.
Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen the only drivers o🍃n track currently.
"Morning done, lots of laps. We did all the tests that we wanted tꦡo do. That's good.
"Now we analyse the data as much as possible to see if it correlates 🍎t♚o what we expected.
"Then, we work from there."
We know how important mileage is in testing, and it is Aston Martin who have racked up the most laps of anyone so far today, with Fernando Alonso logging 77 thiꦰs morning.
"It was good," said team principal Mike Krack. "We had a promotional event at Silverstone las🍌t week and here is a different trꦺack, different conditions. But he was happy with how it went."
Kr☂ack also revealed that Astꦗon Martin will be bringing new parts to their AM24 on each day of the test in Bahrain.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz putting his first laps togethe𒁃r now🌼.
Max Verstappen
George Russell
Carlos Sainz
Lando Norris
Lance Stroll
Pierre Gasly
Logan Sargeant
Zhou Guanyu
Nico Hulkenberg
Daniel Ricciardo
