Defending champion Max Verstappen laid down the gauntlet to the rest of the Formula 1 grid as he clocked the quickest time in practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday.
The only driver to get close to the Red Bull driver’s time was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell struggled with their misfiring car.
In the first of the two sessions, Russell lost a part of the floor of his car and complained that the W13 was struggling in the gusty conditions. Despite that, he still clocked the fourth fastest time in both sessions.
But Hamilton ended the second hour-long session 1.2seconds slower than Verstappen and more than half a second behind Russell.
The seven-time world champion was violently bouncing up and down at high speeds on the straights – known as porpoising – and complained of brake issues as well as a malfunctioning DRS.
Mercedes had already been on the back foot with issues in testing last week in Bahrain and hopes that they had got to grips with the problems a week on were unfounded.
While Leclerc shone in both sessions for a seemingly resurgent Ferrari, he ended the day under investigation for a near coming together with Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Tsunoda’s teammate Pierre Gasly had upset the form book as he topped the timesheets in the earlier session under blue skies and bright sunshine.
But as the action resumed under the lights, both Alpha Tauris struggled with the sudden drop in temperature.
The first session was red flagged early on when part of Esteban Ocon’s Alpine went flying off the side of the car before the cars returned to the car.
And hopes that former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas had of a bright start to his move to Alfa Romeo were dashed when he complained of the car misfiring and returned to the pits without completing a single lap.
However, in the second session he was sixth fastest after completing 30 laps, more than any other driver.
