The Latest Breaking News from Max Verstappen

Curtain raiser will provide welcome return to cars racing instead of speculation and drama in buildup to new season

Despite his success in sprints in recent seasons, Verstappen has made it clear that he is not a fan of having an extra shorter event tacked on to the weekend.

Unusually, this year’s race takes place on Saturday 2 March at 10:00am ET at Bahrain International Circuit.

Key insights from 2024 Formula 1 pre-season testing: Red Bull's RB20, Ferrari's pace, Mercedes changes, and intense competition ahead.

Sainz set the quickest time on the second of the three days of testing, before the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sakhir circuit on 2 March.

Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz had led the final morning session from Red Bull's Sergio Perez before running was interrupted by a broken drain cover for the second day in a row.

Leclerc set the pace at Bahrain International Circuit in the last of three days of testing, beating Russell and Zhou Guanyu of Sauber.

Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz had led the final morning session from Red Bull's Sergio Perez before running was interrupted by a broken drain cover for the second day in a row.

Although there have been similar instances over the years at various tracks, the current generation of high downforce ground effect cars appear to be more likely to trigger problems when they run over covers due to the forces involved.

Alonso reckons the new AMR24 marks an improvement over last year’s car, but he is reluctant to say that the team will repeat its flying start from 2023 - due to the winter progress made by rival teams.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit opted to pursue a different direction in an attempt to stay ahead of the opposition, and early lap times in Bahrain testing have indicated that tactic has yielded a significant step forward - Verstappen topping the leaderboard on the opening day.