Ricciardo best time of opening morning in Bahrain

The first 4 hours of the 2021 pre-season testing have delivered their verdict. And at 14:00 p.m. (Sakhir time), it’s Daniel Ricciardo which points to the head. For its first official outing under the colors McLaren, the Australian signed the best time of the morning session.

With a time of 1’32”203, Ricciardo was ahead of Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull). However, the two men did not finish very far behind as they drove in the same tenth as the leading McLaren. 

Esteban Ocon had a productive morning with no less than 55 laps completed. The pilot Alpine achieved the 4th time of the morning session, just over 7 tenths behind the leader's time. Fifth at the finish, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) saw his session end earlier than expected.

With just under ten minutes to go before the checkered flag, the Monegasque was forced to stop his SF21 at turn 4 due to mechanical problems. Enough to shake up the Scuderia garage before the start of the second session of the day.

Behind, the other drivers were more discreet. Kimi Räikkönen (Alfa Romeo) ended the morning in 6th place, more than a second from the lead, just like Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), 7th.

Roy Nissany, test pilot Williams, had the chance to open the ball for the Grove stable. At the finish, the Israeli was satisfied with the 8th fastest time, just ahead of the rookie Mick Schumacher (Haas), slowed down by a gearbox problem. 

Also a victim of transmission problems with the new W12, Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) was forced to install a new gearbox, which significantly reduced his running time. In the end, the Finn finished 10th, more than 4 seconds behind Daniel Ricciardo.

The second session of the day will begin at 15:00 p.m. (13:00 p.m. French time). Some teams will make driver changes like Mercedes where Lewis Hamilton will take over or even Ferrari with the debut of Sainz.

See you at 13:00 p.m. always on AUTOhebdo for the second session of the day.