64 laps for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari SF-24 in morning session of Day 1 | 2024 F1 Bahrain test. How Charles Leclerc and Ferrari performed in the morning session of Day 1 of pre-season testing.

Wednesday morning saw all teams involved in the initial understanding of their cars. Various work programs were in place for all the teams. The timesheet is, of course, not very indicative, although the lap times still show a Red Bull as the reference. Ferrari follows with Charles Leclerc, and Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso. Let’s see how the situation evolves in the afternoon in the live coverage of the Day 1 afternoon session of the 2024 tests in Bahrain.

The session before the lunch break showed a lot of on-track activity, with several drivers capable of stringing together different sequences of laps. Qualifying simulations, race pace trials, and much more. However, the main tests are data acquisition ones, with various cars equipped with rakes to examine aerodynamic flows. In addition to these aerodynamic tests, teams set up different runs at constant speeds to assimilate as much data as possible from the sensors on board the car. The lineup of drivers hitting the track in the afternoon includes Verstappen, who will be behind the wheel of the RB20 all day. There will be a change of drivers for Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, and many other teams.

With the afternoon activity, the teams’ work is more similar to that of a race weekend. In fact, with the hours heading towards the evening and the sun setting, the track temperature conditions become more indicative. Let’s see how the teams’ work evolves in the afternoon session on the first day of testing in Bahrain.

This morning has all been about data gathering and getting laps on the board. We can’t read too much into it, other than every car apart from Alex Albon’s Williams has been reliable. Max Verstappen ends up a couple tenths faster than his best lap time at the end of Day 1 from last year. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso looked like he was enjoying the conditions with a nice balance throughout the session, as did Oscar Piastri in the McLaren. Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc completed 64 laps behind the wheel of the SF-24 single-seater, with a personal best lap time that was seven tenths slower than Max Verstappen’s benchmark from the morning session at the Sakhir circuit. Max Verstappen commenced his entire day behind the wheel of the RB20 on the most challenging Pirelli tires, and the new Red Bull seemed challenging to handle in the low-grip conditions. Fernando Alonso emerged as the fastest after the initial rounds.

However, following a switch to the C3 Medium compound tires just before the two-hour mark, Verstappen made progress in the standings. Eventually, he improved his lap time to 1:32.548, approximately two-tenths faster than the quickest time recorded on the first day of testing in 2023.

Morning session final timesheet