The 2024 Formula One season kicked off with the first practice sessions at the Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday, where Daniel Ricciardo and his new team RB showed impressive pace and reliability. The Australian topped the first session and was fourth in the second, while his team mate Yuki Tsunoda was also in the top five in both sessions. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, who moved to Red Bull from RB, had a frustrating day as he suffered an engine failure in the second session and had to park his car on the side of the track.
Mercedes still the team to beat
Despite RB’s strong performance, Mercedes still proved to be the team to beat, as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell dominated the second session with a one-two finish. Hamilton, who is aiming for his eighth world title, set the fastest lap of the day with a 1:31.692, while Russell, who replaced Valtteri Bottas at the Silver Arrows, was only 0.077 seconds behind. The two Mercedes drivers were more than half a second clear of the rest of the field, showing that they have not lost their edge over the winter break.
McLaren and Kick Sauber impress with new line-ups
Two other teams that impressed with their new line-ups were McLaren and Kick Sauber, who both had their drivers in the top 10 in both sessions. McLaren, who switched to Mercedes engines this year, had Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as their drivers, with Norris finishing third and fifth, and Piastri, the reigning Formula 2 champion, finishing sixth and seventh. Kick Sauber, who partnered with Kick as their title sponsor, had Zhou Guanyu and Fernando Alonso as their drivers, with Zhou, the first Chinese driver in F1, finishing eighth and ninth, and Alonso, who returned to F1 after a two-year hiatus, finishing fifth and tenth.
Ferrari and Aston Martin struggle for pace
While some teams enjoyed a positive start to the season, others struggled to find pace and consistency. Ferrari and Aston Martin, who were expected to challenge for the podiums this year, were both disappointing in the practice sessions, as they failed to break into the top 10 in either session. Ferrari, who had Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz as their drivers, had Leclerc as their best performer, with 11th and 12th places, while Sainz was 14th and 15th. Aston Martin, who rebranded from Racing Point and signed Sergio Perez from Red Bull, had Perez and Lance Stroll as their drivers, with Perez as their best performer, with 13th and 16th places, while Stroll was 17th and 18th.
Haas and Williams lag behind
The two teams that lagged behind the most were Haas and Williams, who both had new drivers and limited resources. Haas, who had Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg as their drivers, had Magnussen as their best performer, with 19th and 20th places, while Hulkenberg, who replaced Romain Grosjean after his horrific crash last year, was 20th and 19th. Williams, who had Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant as their drivers, had Albon as their best performer, with 16th and 17th places, while Sargeant, the runner-up of the 2023 Formula 3 championship, was 18th and 20th.
The practice sessions gave a glimpse of what to expect from the 2024 season, which promises to be exciting and competitive. The teams and drivers will now prepare for the qualifying session on Friday, which will determine the grid positions for the race on Saturday.
