Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sets fastest time in first day of F1 pre-season testing at BIC

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Max Verstappen set the fastest time yesterday on the first day of Formula 1 Aramco Pre-season Testing 2021 at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

The Red Bull Racing ace clocked the fastest time of one minute 30.674 seconds under the state-of-the-art floodlights at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” in sandy and hazy conditions throughout the day’s four-hour afternoon session.

McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo had topped the timesheet in the morning session with a best lap of 1:32.203. Yesterday’s test was the first time F1’s 2021 contenders were on track together.

The top flight’s teams and drivers are gearing up for the start of the 2021 FIA F1 World Championship, which flags off with the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix March 26 to 28. Tickets to the race weekend are now available for all vaccinated or COVID-19 recovered individuals.

They are on sale at bahraingp.com with a single discounted price of BD100 across stands for the three-day event. F1 testing continues today and tomorrow, once again from morning until the early evening. They are scheduled to begin each day at 10 am and continue until 2 pm. Following an hourlong break, the action resumes from 3 pm to 7 pm.

Verstappen’s pace-setting time came as he was behind the wheel of Red Bull’s RB16B. The Dutchman was busiest on the first day of running, ramping up a total of 139 laps around BIC’s 5.412-kilometre Grand Prix track.

Second-fastest yesterday was Ricciardo’s teammate Lando Norris in his MCL35M. He was 0.215 seconds off Verstsappen’s mark while going for 46 laps on the day.

Esteban Ocon of Alpine followed 0.472s back in his A521 challenger, completing 129 laps for the second-highest mileage.

Lance Stroll (+1.108s) in his Aston Martin AMR21 was classified fourth, Carlos Sainz (+1.245s) made his Ferrari debut in their SF21 contender in fifth, and Antonio Giovinazzi (+1.271s) was sixth for Alfa Romeo piloting his C41 car.

Rounding out the top eight for the day was Ricciardo with his morning time, which was 1.529s behind Verstappen’s fastest lap, and Pierre Gasly, who also posted his best mark in the morning 1.557s off the leading pace in AlphaTauri’s AT02.

The rest of the 17-driver classification from ninth through 17th, respectively, included Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri, +2.053s), reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes, +2.238s), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, +2.568s), Kimi Raikkonent (Alfa Romeo, +2.646s), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin, +3.068s), Roy Nissany (Williams, +4.115s), Nikita Mazepin (Haas, +4.124s), Mick Schumacher (Haas, +5.453s) and Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes, +6.176s). Bottas missed out on some valuable track time in the morning due to a gearbox change, as did Haas rookie Schumacher. This year’s F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will be the first of a record 23 rounds.

Aside from the racing, fans can look forward to a wide array of fun activities at BIC’s F1 Village vending area, including a selection of wild outdoor rides and other attractions. Comprehensive measures will be put in place at the circuit to ensure spectators can enjoy the excitement of F1 in a safe environment.

For full eligibility criteria for those wishing to attend the race, or for other information on the highly anticipated event, visit bahraingp.com.