F1 testing ahead of the 2024 season is finally here w꧒ith three days of running at the Bahrain international Circuit.
It's the first time we will ge൩t t🃏o see all 10 teams run their new challengers in anger as they prepare for the new campaign.
That's a wrap on the opening day of pre-seasꦛon 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 under🦹way at 7am UK time.
The chequered flag is waved and that concl🍸udes the opening day of pre-season testing.
Day one belongs to reigning worl🔯d champion Max Verstappen, whꩵo was a full second clear of the pack.
Just 15 minﷺutes of runn♛ing 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 𒀰on 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 best cond💎itions of the day.
Sargeant is yet to emerge from the Williams garage after pitting with a suspected driveshaft issuꦍe.
The Amꦆerican 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 gravel.
With l𓂃ittle over 30 minutes remaining, will Williams manage 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, avoiding further drama.
Verstappen briefly follows Russell on track before launching one down the inside o♑f the Mercedes driver into Turn 13.
We are heading into the final hour of running on the first day of testingꦰ in 202🉐4.
Will 🔯we get to see any performance runs towards the enꦰd of the day?
Verstappen has ♛gone even quicker by posting a 1m31.662s on the C3 compound.
The Dutchman has also surpassed a cen𒅌tury of laps ♕for the day.
McLaren fo🌠r the tꦜitle? Well it's early days but Norris has taken to the top with a 1m32.484s, 0.084s ahead of Verstappen.
Verstappen still leads the way on a 1m32.548s, ൩less than a tenth ahead of Sainz who has slotted into second-fastest.
Nಞorris, Leclerc, Alonso, Piastri, Russell, Tsunoda, Zhou and Bottas complete the top 10.
Expꦕect times to keep on getting quicker as the꧃ track grips up and the temperatures start to come down in Bahrain.
The session will finis♉h under the floodlights - so keep an eye out fo🥂r more performance runs at the end of the day.
Toto Wolff has been speaking toꦦ t✃he media in Bahrain
You can read what he said here...
Here's Zhou Guanyu on track for the fir𓄧st time today, spor𒊎ting a splash of flow-vis paint on the side of his Sauber.
After❀ taking over from teammate Leclerc, Sainz is on the move and has slotted into fourth overall.
The Spaniard is currently 0.8♎38s off Verstappen's benchmark fr▨om earlier.
Hulke💞nberg is th﷽e only other driver out on track currently.
Anthony Davidson told Sky: "Aston Martin looked pretty nice at Turn One. Fernando Alonso was able to hook it up well, get good rotation into the car ꦕand 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 through Turn Two as you pick up the speed. So two different characteristics fro𒐪m that car in the space of two corners."
Just three laps coꦕmpleted by Georg💝e Russell before he goes back into the pits.
Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen the only drivers on track curren🌃tly.
"Morning done, lots of lಌaps. We did all the tests that we wanted to do. That's good.
"Now we analyse the data as much as ꦗpossiꦦble to see if it correlates to what we expected.
"Then, we work from there."
We k൲now how important milea💙ge 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 this morning.
"It was good," said team principal Mike Krack. "We had a promotiಞonal event at Silverstone last week and here is a different track, different conditions. But he was happy with how it went."
Krack also revealed that Aston Martin will be brin😼ging new parts to their AM24 on each day of the test in Bahrain.
Ferrari's C⛦a🙈rlos Sainz putting his first laps together now.
Max Verstappen
George Russell
Carlos Sainz
Lando Norris
Lance Stroll
Pierre Gasly
Logan Sargeant
Zhou Guanyu
Nico Hulkenberg
Daniel Ricciardo
