Max enjoys productive first morning of pre-season testing
Published on 12 March 2021 by Stefan Meens
Max Verstappen enjoyed a productive morning during the first of three days of Formula 1 pre-season testing. In the new RB16b, the Red Bull Racing driver completed 60 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit. His 1:32.345 was the third quickest lap of the session with only Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) and Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) faster.
When the light at the end of the pitlane jumps to green and heralds in a new season is F1, Kimi Raikkonen is first out of the box in his Alfa Romeo. He is soon followed by Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Pierre Gasly and Max for the customary installation laps.
In the first half hour of the session, most team fit aero rakes and/or use flow-vis paint to measure the airflow on their cars. Once the rakes are removed, the lap times start drop.
Meanwhile, Mercedes has not started its title defence in the way it wanted to. Valtteri Bottas, who was scheduled to drive the W12 in the morning, is unable to drive due to a gearbox issue on the car, resulting in the unit needing replaced.
Mercedes is not the only team facing technical issues in the morning. Like the reigning Constructors’ World Champions, Haas F1 struggles with gearbox issues, meaning rookie Mick Schumacher is stuck in the pits.
At the halfway point, it is Max, Ricciardo and Gasly that set the pace. The trio are within five hundredths of a second and remain so throughout the remainder of the session.
Shortly after, a yellow flag is waved at the end of the pit lane, where Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel has stopped. The team pushes the German back and soon after, he continues his session.
With just over half an hour to go, Valtteri Bottas is finally able to steer his Mercedes out onto the track, hoping to recapture as much lost time as possible.
In the final fifteen minutes, Mick Schumacher finally makes an appearance after his mechanics have installed a new gearbox. The rest of the teams are not looking to set faster lap times, but instead focus on gathering as much data as they can with sandstorms looming over the afternoon’s session.
With less than ten minutes to go, Charles Leclerc causes the first red flag of the season. The Ferrari driver has ground to halt and has to move his car beyond the barriers with the help of the marshals. Once the track is cleared, a virtual safety-car, as the clock ticks down, ends the session.
