F1 is finally back! After the mother of all off-seasons, it’s time to turn our attention to the track with three days of F1 Testing coming our way, starting today!
F1 TV Pro viewers can watch all the live action from pre-season testing and the entire 2023 season ad-free!
Last updated 1030 local time
1 Fernando ALONSO 1:33.822 10 laps
2 Valtteri BOTTAS +1.512 7
3 Kevin MAGNUSSEN +1.870 8
4 Max VERSTAPPEN +2.171 7
5 Charles LECLERC +2.335 8
6 George RUSSELL +3.575 10
7 Yuki TSUNODA +4.748 11
8 Alexander ALBON – – 8
9 Esteban OCON – – 4
10 Oscar PIASTRI – – 4
11 Logan SARGEANT
12 Daniel RICCIARDO
13 Lando NORRIS
14 Pierre GASLY
15 Sergio PEREZ
16 Lance STROLL
17 ZHOU GUANYU
18 Nico HULKENBERG
19 Lewis HAMILTON
20 Carlos SAINZ
Session times (local time): 1000-1400 [morning session], 1500-1900 [afternoon session]
1036: Max Verstappen is really having to wrestle with his RB20 on the hardest tyre compound available. A combination of that and the very green track, which hasn’t been properly rubbered in yet, are to blame, so those of you wanting to get your hopes up that Red Bull have produced a gremlin of a car, don’t!
1030: Kevin Magnussen has had to come back into the pits earlier than intended due to a wobbly aero rake. You don’t often see that!
1025: Fernando Alonso has clearly had his Cheerios this morning (other cereals are available) as he promptly plonks himself top of the early timesheet with a 1:33.822.
1011: G0od news as Piastri leaves the pits in the McLaren to begin his morning’s programme.
1005: Five minutes into the session and we’re still waiting for the first sight of the McLaren MCL38. The team has not given any reason for the delay. Leclerc is P1 in the Ferrari.
1002: The teams and drivers aren’t hanging around with Leclerc leaving the Ferrari garage. His SF-24 is sporting a spider web on both sides, never mind aero rakes. Verstappen’s RB20 has the standard shaped rakes.
1000: Russell isn’t wasting a moment of his one-and-a-half days with the Briton waiting at the end of the pit lane for the start of testing. And off he goes, followed by Alonso.
0955: Five minutes until the first car takes to the track…
0946: Although there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of screens up as the teams complete their final behind-the-screens preparations, there are a few front wings in the pit lane and Haas have already taken the covers off their official car.
0938: The first testing session of the season begins in just over 20 minutes’ time so, whilst we wait that little bit more, let’s bring you today’s driver line-ups for the 10 respective teams.
Red Bull and Mercedes have opted not to split Day One’s driving duties with Max Verstappen and George Russell in action. Ferrari have Charles Leclerc then Carlos Sainz, McLaren will be starting with Oscar Piastri then Lando Norris, while Fernando Alonso is first up for Aston Martin with Lance Stroll taking over in the afternoon.
As for the rest:
Alpine – Esteban Ocon/Pierre Gasly
Williams – Alex Albon/Logan Sargeant
RB – Yuki Tsunoda/Daniel Ricciardo
Sauber-Stake – Valtteri Bottas/Zhou Guanyu
Haas – Kevin Magnussen/Nico Hulkenberg
0930: Good morning everyone and a warm, official welcome to F1 2024! It’s good to have you back with us for another year of thrills, spills and everything in between
0 comments
