SAKHIR, Bahrain — Reigning world champion Max Verstappen topped the opening day of preseason testing as System One returned to motion in Bahrain.

The three-day take a look at on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit is the one likelihood groups must run their vehicles on observe forward of the opening race on the identical circuit subsequent weekend.

The primary day noticed 19 drivers on observe throughout ten vehicles, with Pink Bull the one group to not cut up its observe time between its two drivers on Thursday as Verstappen accomplished an entire day on the wheel. Teammate Sergio Perez will share Friday’s operating with Verstappen earlier than getting a complete day on the wheel on Saturday.

Verstappen accomplished a complete of 157 laps on Thursday and set his quickest lap within the afternoon with a 1:32.837 — roughly 2.3s off final 12 months’s pole place time on the identical circuit.

Thursday supplied the primary have a look at Pink Bull’s new RB19, which the group opted to not reveal at its season launch in New York earlier this month however seems to be an evolution of final 12 months’s championship-winning automobile.

“[The car is] a little bit of an evolution from final 12 months,” Verstappen advised media after the take a look at session. “I feel final 12 months was extra a time the place you have been actually adapting to the automobile, actually understanding what you needed to do.

“In fact, with all of the information from final 12 months, I feel it is already a a lot simpler begin for everybody to come back again right here. It is good to see the brand new automobile, the way it has developed from final 12 months, how the behaviour is a bit totally different, and likewise due to the tyres.

“It was a very good day to grasp all of that.”

Verstappen completed the day 0.029s quicker than Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in second place and 0.415s forward of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in third. All three drivers set their instances on the identical C3 tyre compound.

Alonso set his finest time in direction of the tip of the session when observe circumstances have been at their finest, though at this stage of testing the lap instances are usually not at all times the very best indicator of true efficiency.

The one 2023 race driver not current at this week’s take a look at is Alonso’s Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll. The Canadian injured his wrist in a biking incident earlier final week, and though he isn’t been dominated out of subsequent weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Aston Martin has been unable to substantiate if he’ll get better in time.

“He was coaching, making an attempt to work on his health final week, he was biking and he had a small incident and damage himself,” Aston Martin group principal Mike Krack stated on Thursday. “For precautionary causes we determined it is higher to attend a bit bit and be prepared subsequent week.

“He is injured on the hand, on the wrist. However I do not need to go into particulars as a result of that is privateness.”

Aston Martin opted to run reserve driver Felipe Drugovich on Thursday morning in Stroll’s place, though the F2 champion’s time within the automobile was restricted barely be {an electrical} situation that additionally brought about the day’s solely purple flag.

Lando Norris was fifth-fastest for McLaren utilizing the C3 tyre compound forward of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton within the new Mercedes W14 additionally on the C3.

After its run of eight consecutive constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021, Mercedes struggled all through final 12 months profitable only one race from 22. The group claims to have understood the place it mistaken in 2022 and says it has utilized the teachings from its disappointing marketing campaign to this 12 months’s W14.

The brand new automobile is clearly an evolution of a few of the ideas on final 12 months’s W13, however group boss Toto Wolff stated the bouncing points that plagued Mercedes early final 12 months seem to have been resolved.

“There is no bouncing, which is sweet information, other than that huge bump on the finish of the straight,” Wolff stated. “A very good start line. We’re getting a variety of information which is necessary to correlate after final 12 months and check out various things.

“[Last year] knew we have been in bother as a result of the automobile was bouncing round and we actually weren’t capable of drive it appropriately. [Today] could be very totally different.

“We now have a really stable base now to work from and attempt to optimise the automobile, which we’ve not completed but, it is actually simply padding out, are there any areas {that a} might be actual efficiency hinderance like final 12 months with the bouncing. Now we have simply started working via the programme.”

Alex Albon was seventh-fastest for Williams utilizing the C4 tyre compound and simply fractionally quicker than Zhou Guanyu’s finest time within the Alfa Romeo utilizing the C3. Nico Hulkenberg was the quickest of the 2 Haas drivers in eleventh place total on the C3, with rookie Nyck de Vries setting the quickest time for AlphaTauri in thirteenth on a prototype model of the C3.

Alpine was the bottom ranked of the ten groups on Thursday after utilizing the C2 compound for its quickest laps, however with a wholesome whole of 113 laps and no prizes for ending greater up the order, it’s unlikely to fret the group at this stage of preseason.

Day 1 ultimate instances:

1. Max Verstappen – Pink Bull – 1:32.837 – 157 laps – C3
2. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – +0.029s – 60 laps – C3
3. Carlos Sainz – Ferrari – +0.416s – 72 laps – C3
4. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – +0.430s – 64 laps – C3
5. Lando Norris – McLaren – +0.625s – 40 laps – C3
6. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes – +0.671s – 83 laps – C3
7. Alexander Albon – Williams – +0.834s – 74 laps – C4
8. Zhou Guanyu – Alfa Romeo – +0.886s – 67 laps – C3
9. George Russell – Mercedes – +1.337s – 69 laps – C3
10. Logan Sargeant – Williams – +1.487s – 75 laps – C3
11. Nico Hulkenberg – Haas – +1.587s – 51 laps – C3
12. Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo – +1.721s – 71 laps – C3
13. Nyck de Vries – AlphaTauri – +1.722 – 85 laps – C3 (prototype)
14. Felipe Drugovich – Aston Martin – +1.727s – 40 laps – C3
15. Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri – +1.834s – 46 laps – C3
16. Pierre Gasly – Alpine – +1.985s – 60 laps – C2
17. Esteban Ocon – Alpine – +2.034s – 53 laps – C2
18. Oscar Piastri – McLaren – +2.051s – 52 laps – C3
19. Kevin Magnussen – Haas – +2.250s – 57 laps – C3