LEWIS HAMILTON is back as he looks to become the first man in history to win eight F1 world championships.
The Brit stormed to title number seven last year, matching Michael Schumacher, and Mercedes will be hoping for more of the same after signing a bumper new deal with the Brit.
Get Lewis Hamilton to make PODIUM at F1 Bahrain GP at 20/1!
SUNRISE, SUNSET
Join us later this afternoon for another hour-long session.
Expect plenty of race runs in FP2 following that remarkably clean shakedown first practice.
The floodlights will be on when the session gets underway at 3pm.
Credit: Getty FP1 TOP 10
1 – Verstappen
2 – Bottas
3 – Norris
4 – Hamilton
5 – Leclerc
6 – Perez
7 – Gasly
8 – Sainz
9 – Ricciardo
10 – GiovinazziVERSTAPPEN TAKES FP1
A solid start from Max Verstappen in what is admittedly a rather unrepresentative session, given the day-night switch in Bahrain.
Valtteri Bottas takes second before Lando Norris sits third to separate to two Mercedes cars.
FINAL TIMES COMING IN
No quicker from Bottas but he does appear set to finish above his team-mate in this session.
BIG MARGIN?
A healthy three-tenth lead for Verstappen and that came on new Softs.
Replays also showed a fairly big tow from the car in front down the straight as he began the lap, which would have shaved off a bit of time.
MAX POWER
And there is the fastest time of the session from Verstappen, clocking 1:31.394.
FINAL FIVE MINUTES
Verstappen darts around the Mercs on his out lap while they cool down.
Currently seventh, expect that to change as he begins another quick attempt.
HAMILTON THIRD
Hamilton misses the apex at the final turn and ends up 0.024 off Norris.
No such problems for Bottas as he goes top with a 1:31.692, two tenths clear.
What can the Red Bulls do in reply?
TOP 10 WITH 10 TO GO
1 – Norris
2 – Leclerc
3 – Gasly
4 – Hamilton
5 – Sainz
6 – Ricciardo
7 – Verstappen
8 – Bottas
9 – Perez
10 – Giovinazzi
YU GO YUKI
“C’mon I’ve got f****** traffic!”
Yuki Tsunoda delivering our first furious radio message of the season after going a touch wide at the final turn in dirty air.
How we’ve missed this.
BACK RUNNERS
We don’t know the run plans, making these assessments rather limited.
But a look at the bottom of the timesheet suggests who may be struggling for points in 2021.
Both Williams and Haas cars are in the bottom five.
Esteban Ocon’s Alpine sits 20th with Fernando Alonso not far higher, in 14th.
FINAL 15 COMING UP
This session has flown by with tonnes of on-track action to keep an eye on.
A few minor slips here and there but drivers are doing very well to keep it on the road so far, with there also no big technical issues to speak of.
That second point may well be a product of the rule continuity from last year, with these cars certainly evolutions rather than revolutions.
Credit: Splash RICCIARDO GOING FOR IT
The McLarens begin to show off their stuff with Ricciardo chasing Norris’ fastest time.
Just over half a second off his team-mate, he goes third overall.
VETTEL DOES BETTER
Sebastian Vettel locked up on his last run but re-emerges to clock in the seventh-best time.
FUEL OF IT
A reminder that we do not know the fuel loads each team runs during practice.
If any team knows they have a veritable jet-powered car this year and doesn’t want to show it yet, that is well within their right.
LANDO HOPE AND GLORY
Hamilton runs wide at Turn 4 and doesn’t enjoy Turn 14 as he puts in a time over a second off his best.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris arrives in 2021 with a 1:31.897 to go first, some three tenths clear of the previous top time.
HAMILTON OUT AGAIN
The Merc is back out with the same set of Soft tyres.
The teams have eight sets to play with but, given the unrepresentative nature of these times just mentioned, Hamilton is on an interesting run plan.
TOP TEN AT HALFWAY
1 – Hamilton
2 – Verstappen
3 – Bottas
4 – Perez
5 – Leclerc
6 – Gasly
7 – Norris
8 – Tsunoda
9 – Sainz
10 – VettelHOW MUCH DOES THIS SESSION MATTER?
Typically this is a rather unrepresentative session for the race itself, which takes place at night time with the circuit currently bathed in 30-degree heat during the mid-afternoon.
But the 2020 first practice session did see Lewis Hamilton lead Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez – a top three which could well have held in the race bar the latter two’s issues on the Sunday.
Credit: Getty FIRST SIGN OF THE HAAS
Mick Schumacher is putting in his first run on an F1 GP weekend.
Everywhere you look right now there are iconic firsts, comebacks, and epic narratives taking place!
LEWIS GOES FASTEST
How many times will we be writing that sentence this season?
With a 1:32.214, Lewis Hamilton is back top, with the front-four going: Merc, Red Bull, Merc, Red Bull.
Best of the rest right now is Charles Leclerc, just under seven tenths off Lewis.
WILLIAMS TRIBUTE
A heartfelt message on the Williams halo this weekend with a famous quote from Murray Walker.
The British commentator, much loved by fans worldwide, died at the age of 97 earlier this month.
Murray’s comments after Damon Hill’s world title win for Williams is one of many iconic moments from his long career in the sport.
“I’ve got to stop because I’ve got a lump in my throat.”
VERSTAPPEN GOES TOP
Max Verstappen nudges ahead in a very tight top four already at this stage.
The Dutchman’s 1:32.591 holds a one-tenth advantage over Valtteri Bottas, who has put himself between Verstappen and a new time from Perez.
That Hamilton time is still only two tenths off the top, though.
LAYING DOWN A MARKER
Lewis Hamilton already beaming around Sakhir on the Softs, and puts in the fastest time so far.
His 1:32.844 is almost four tenths clear of Sergio Perez in the Red Bull.
WELCOME BACK FERNANDO
It is great to see Fernando Alonso back in F1, especially after coming trough his bike crash scare earlier in the year.
Credit: Getty
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
