Bahrain GP 2019
MARCH 29, 2019
Practice 1 Report - King Charles
© RV Press
By Dan Knutson in Sakhir
Charles Leclerc ruled the opening round of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. His Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel wound up second, and the duo was a full second faster than the Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton who wound up third and fourth.
The line-up for the weekend was: Mercedes – Hamilton and Bottas; Ferrari – Vettel and Leclerc; Red Bull TAG Heuer –Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly; Renault – Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg; Haas Ferrari – Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; McLaren Renault – Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris; Racing Point Mercedes – Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll; Alfa Romeo Ferrari – Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi; Toro Rosso Honda – Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon; Williams Mercedes – George Russell and Robert Kubica.
Giovinazzi was the first out on the 15-turn 3.363-mile (5.412 km) Sakhir circuit.
The ambient temperature at the start of the 90-minute session was 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Centigrade) and the track temperature was 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Centigrade).
After doing the usual install laps the drivers did the usual return to the garages for the usual wait. As qualifying and the race would take place in the evening, the hot conditions in the afternoon during FP1 would not give the teams the true indication of how to dial in their cars.
Fifteen minutes into the session, Verstappen did a practice start at pit exit and steered his Red Bull onto the track. He used the soft compound Pirelli tires to set a time of 1:33.085 followed by a 1:32.950 several laps later.
Other drivers soon joined him on track including Hamilton who, on the mediums, moved into second place at 1:33.335.
Bottas, also on the mediums, beat both of them by turning a 1:32.340. Stroll, meanwhile, had a quick spin at Turn 4 and tagged the wall with his front wing. At the half hour mark the only driver in the pits was Stroll.
Vettel was the next to take the lead as he posted a 1:31.747 using the soft compound Pirelli slicks. His teammate Leclerc was second, 0.137 of a second down.
At the 40-minute break, when each driver must return a set of tires to Pirelli, the order was: Vettel, Leclerc, Bottas, Hamilton, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Albon, Hulkenberg, Magnussen and Kvyat.
Verstappen was the first to head back out, and the Red Bull driver had the track to himself until he was joined by teammate Gasly. Using the soft compound, Verstappen moved into first place with a 1:31.673. Gasly took third behind Vettel.
But more cars were soon circulating, and Bottas retook the lead when he turned a 1:31.328. Hamilton slid wide on his fast lap and ended up second.
Vettel made no mistakes as he then retook first place with a time of 1:30.617. But the fleet Leclerc topped that by setting a 1:30.354.
With 15 minutes remaining, the top ten were: Leclerc, Vettel, Bottas, Hamilton, Verstappen, Gasly, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Kvyat and Raikkonen.
With five minutes remaining, Russell livened things up with a spin at Turn 3. Then in the final minute, Giovinazzi and Hulkenberg bounced off each other.
As the drivers were now all doing long runs, the order of the top ten remained the same with King Charles the ruler of FP1.