Ferrari one-two at FP1 in Bahrain

Ferrari impressed at first Free Practice session at Sakhir Circuit with Kimi Raikkonen on the top. Driver with most podiums in Bahrain ended up 0.202 seconds quicker than his teammate Sebastian Vettel.

But before red cars went on the top, there were a lot of excitement.  Nico Rosberg, Valteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo had turns being quickest, while Mercedes totally disappointed finishing at 15th (Rosberg) and 16th (Hamilton).

The session started badly for McLaren as Jenson Button spun his MP4-30 to a halt in Turn 2 at the start of his first flying lap. An electrical problem was later diagnosed as the cause. Others, too numerous to mention, suffered serious front wheel lock-ups, especially at Turn 10, and generally there was a lack of grip which wasn’t helped as the track temperature declined from an initial 53 degrees Celsius to 45.

We should have a more realistic indication of form after FP2, which will be held in much more representative evening conditions.

First Free Practice full results: