2021 F1 Round 1, Bahrain Grand Prix FP1: Verstappen tops the times, Tsunoda 14th on debut

On the evening of March 26 (China Standard Time, UTC+8), the 2021 F1 World Championship got under way at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) after a three-month winter break. All 20 drivers, including Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda, took part in the first practice session for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the times with a 1:31.394, making a strong start to a season in which he is targeting the title.

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was second, 0.298 seconds behind, while McLaren’s Lando Norris finished third, narrowly ahead of reigning champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) in fourth.

Verstappen set the fastest times in sectors one and two, while his new team-mate Sergio Perez, sixth overall, was quickest in sector three, underlining Red Bull’s strong pace.

For reference, the fastest lap in pre-season testing at the same circuit was Verstappen’s 1:28.9 on C4 tyres, and the pace will improve further over the weekend.

By contrast, the rear-end instability Mercedes had shown in pre-season testing appeared to remain unresolved, with the rear of Hamilton’s car stepping out several times.

With qualifying and the race both set to start after sunset, daytime practice times offered only a limited guide to the weekend. Even so, having the top eight covered by less than a second in the opening practice session fuelled anticipation of a closely fought new season.

Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), making his debut in an official F1 session as the first Japanese driver in seven years since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014, finished 14th, 1.1 seconds behind seventh-placed team-mate Pierre Gasly. Had he not been held up by a slow car at the final corner, he could have posted a closer time.

Friday afternoon in Sakhir was sunny, and the session began in dry conditions with an air temperature of 35°C and a track temperature of 47.5°C. Official tyre supplier Pirelli brought the three mid-range compounds, C2 to C4, for this round.

Unlike in previous years, the two practice sessions on this season’s opening day were shortened from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. To make the most of the limited time, 10 cars took to the track as soon as the green flag was shown. Gasly completed the most laps of anyone with 23, while Verstappen finished his running after just 12, the fewest in the field.

Ferrari, coming off its worst season in 40 years, made a promising start, with Charles Leclerc fifth and Carlos Sainz eighth.

At Aston Martin, the rebranded Silverstone-based British team, Sebastian Vettel completed 21 laps in his beloved car “Honey Ryder” and finished 12th, ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll in 13th.

Alfa Romeo, with hopes high for a significant step forward, broke into the top 10 with Antonio Giovinazzi in 10th, while 41-year-old Kimi Räikkönen, the oldest driver on the grid, finished 11th.

The new Alpine team, with Fernando Alonso returning to F1 after a two-year absence, ran mainly on hard tyres. Alonso finished 16th and Esteban Ocon 15th, with the pair closely matched.

Michael Schumacher’s son Mick Schumacher (Haas) completed the first practice session of his career in 19th, leaving team-mate Nikita Mazepin at the bottom of the timesheets.

Nicholas Latifi (Williams), who locked up and flat-spotted his tyres at Turn 1, finished 18th, 0.2 seconds behind team-mate George Russell.

Second practice took place at the same circuit late on the night of March 26 (China Standard Time, UTC+8).