Winter testing: Daniel Ricciardo sets the morning’s fastest time
The drivers and their machines made their return to the Sakhir circuit for the 2021 winter tests. While the morning was fruitful for some, it was also a source of mechanical problems for others.
Discovery and adaptation for three pilots
Mick Schumacher made his official entry into the world of Formula 1 this morning. While the young German seemed motivated to gather as much data and experience as possible, he was quickly caught out by the reliability issues with the gearbox of his Haas.
Result: 14 small laps and a time more than 4 seconds behind the leader.
Sebastian Vettel is no stranger to Formula 1, far from it, however, he was discovering a new single-seater, equipped with an engine significantly different from the Ferrari unit. Although slightly delayed in his preparation by some mechanical issues, the four-time German world champion nonetheless had a studious morning with 51 laps and a good time just over a second behind leader Daniel Ricciardo.
An unusual leader indeed, it is Australian Daniel Ricciardo who sets the fastest time of this morning session. Behind the wheel of his McLaren, he makes a notable debut for his new team with 45 laps completed. The former Renault driver sets a benchmark time of 1:32.203.
Some mechanical worries for some
The morning was very complicated for Valtteri Bottas, 1 lap, 3 hours immobilization and a gearbox later, the Mercedes driver finally managed to leave his pit. He set the slowest time of the session with 1:36.850 with only 6 laps completed.
After a strong start to the morning, Charles Leclerc and his SF21 caused the first red flag of the season. The Monegasque’s number 16 comes to a stop in the run-off area of turn 4 due to mechanical issues.
Work and building confidence for others.
Active on track throughout this session, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon and Kimi Räikkönen have driven a lot and surely understood a lot of data about their cars. Apart from a little somersault from the Dutch driver from Red Bull, the drivers have completed many laps.
The drivers were disturbed throughout the session by strong winds, bringing a lot of sand onto the track. Many were surprised by some wheel lock-ups and understeer. Will the expected sandstorm have even more impact on this afternoon’s session? Answer at 1 PM on our Twitter account!
