Red Bull were tipped by George Russell and Charles Leclerc as the team to beat after the first day at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Red Bull drivers Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen finished second and fourth fastest, though Verstappen skipped a soft-tyre run due to rain forecasts. Leclerc was fastest by 0.099 seconds from Hadjar, with Verstappen 0.257s off the pace and behind McLaren's Lando Norris.
Lewis Hamilton was fifth fastest and 0.305s off in the second Ferrari. Russell noted Mercedes' struggles with tyre overheating and degradation, saying their upgrade needed setup work. Verstappen called his day a 'decent start', while Red Bull's Pierre Wache said they were 'surprisingly happy' with their upgraded package.
Three drivers face grid penalties: Hadjar drops five places for engine part excess, and Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto start from the back due to engine penalties. The race moved to Malaysia after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled due to the Middle East war, with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa facilitating the shift.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing