Red Bull confirmed they have the upper hand as Formula One’s new era of regulations opened with the first practice sessions of the new season in Bahrain, while Mercedes continued to struggle. Max Verstappen, the world champion, topped the time sheets in second practice while Lewis Hamilton could manage only ninth quickest.
In the first practice session, Pierre Gasly had been quickest for AlphaTauri. However, in the more representative twilight running, identical to race conditions, Verstappen was on top, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in second. Hamilton, suffering with the porpoising that has plagued Mercedes in pre-season, was more than a second back on Verstappen, although his teammate George Russell did go fourth fastest. The uphill struggle Mercedes expected to open the season appears all too real.
