Mercedes’ George Russell set the fastest time in 2020 Sakhir GP FP1 with a lap of 54.546 seconds, beating Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Alex Albon.
The session began at 13:30 GMT and Antonio Giovinazzi led of a train of cars out to the track to test the limits of the Bahrain International Circuit in the twilight.
Just a few minutes after the 2020 Sakhir GP FP1 session start, a brief VSC was deployed after Jack Aitken lost control of his Williams at Turn 2 with Carlos Sainz Jr delivering a lightning-fast lap shortly after track action resumed.
George Russell was another out the pits early on with his sights set firmly on getting acclimatised with the all-new track, however, the Mercedes stand-in complained over ‘a lot of dust’ through turn six.
It wasn’t long before the opening practice claimed a second victim around half an hour in as Charles Leclerc made the first trip into the gravel after losing the rear through Turn 4.
Fortunately his Ferrari did not sustain any damage and the Monesgaque proceeded to finish the 2020 Sakhir GP FP1 in tenth, marking a tricky start to his weekend.
Pierre Gasly marked the third incident of the session after he was left awkwardly hanging on to his right wing-mirror for half a lap after it unexpectedly snapped through the bumpy sector two.
The Frenchman boxed to fix the issue and the relatively easy fix ensured his running wasn’t compromised too heavily. Gasly, who won his first race earlier this year, proceeded to finish sixth fastest.
Jack Aitken also had a moment on his debut after a trip into the gravel at Turn 3- most likely due to lack of traction. While the young driver appeared to be having a hard time wrestling his Williams around the track, he quickly began to make progress to ultimately finish in 12th – a fairly representative finish for a rookie.
Interestingly, a number of drivers appeared to struggle with the undulation changes present through the second part of the lap- especially Turns 6 and 7.
Sergio Pérez was the first to lose crucial time through the turns following a huge lockup while Alexander Albon suffered a violent spin after going off at Turn 3. The close encounter saw the Thai driver narrowly escape the clutches of the barriers and had to return to the pits on damaged softs.
Valtteri Bottas also found himself struggling to preserve his tyres; the Finn locked his front left on a multitude of occasions – no doubt worrying him on a weekend where he needs to demonstrate his aptitude.
The 2020 Sakhir GP FP1 session concluded after a thrilling hour and a half of running, and for the first time in his career George Russell topped the timesheets in a Formula 1 practice session with the fastest lap in F1 history- a 0:54.546.
The two Aston Martin Red Bull Racing car’s of Max Verstappen and Alex Albon finished second and third respectively (as they did last weekend) and Bottas and Kvyat completed the top five. Then followed Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Leclerc.
Free Practice Two begins in just under two hours time, and Russell will be hoping to replicate his standout performance once more.
