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F1 testing 2023: Max Verstappen impresses on opening day as Fernando Alonso takes surprise second

Max Verstappen topped the timesheet on the opening day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain; the reigning world champion edged out Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso by three hundredths of a second; watch day two of testing on Friday from 6:50am on Sky Sports F1

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Red Bull's Max Verstappen delivered a 1:32.959 to go almost three-tenths clear of Carlos Sainz in the opening session

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen topped the timesheet on the opening day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain as Red Bull received "positive signs" from their new car.

Verstappen, who goes into the 2023 season seeking a third successive title, topped Thursday's opening session from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, before improving by a tenth in the afternoon to stay marginally clear of Fernando Alonso, who set an eye-catching time for his new team Aston Martin.

The Dutchman, who was the only driver to feature in both sessions on the first of three days of testing, completed a remarkable 157 laps at the Bahrain International Circuit, which will host the opening Grand Prix of the season on March 5.

Charles Leclerc, who finished second to Verstappen last year, slotted into fourth behind his team-mate Sainz, while Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren despite losing track time after the team needed to carry out "precautionary repairs" to his car.

Mercedes appeared unable to match Verstappen's pace as Lewis Hamilton finished sixth after driving in the later session, but were at least encouraged by the apparent absence of the bouncing issues that plagued their disappointing 2022 campaign.

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14 during the Bahrain February Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday February 23, 2023 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Sutton / Sutton Images)
Image: Lewis Hamilton completed 83 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit

The seven-time world champion completed an impressive 83 laps, while team-mate George Russell earlier managed a solid 69 laps of running which left him ninth at the end of the day.

Alex Albon was seventh for Williams, but the apparent success of a team many expect to be at the back of the field this season offers a reminder that testing timesheets must be viewed with caution, given the potential for teams to be running vastly different setups.

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Albon's new team-mate Logan Sargeant finished the day highest of F1's three 2023 rookies, with Nyck de Vries 13th for AlphaTauri and McLaren's Oscar Piastri 18th.

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Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich brought out the first red flag of testing

Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich, who was called in at short notice to replace the injured Lance Stroll, also delivered a solid display as he overcame an early breakdown, which led to the only red flag of the day, to complete 40 laps and finish 14th.

Bahrain pre-season test: Day One, afternoon timesheet

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

Verstappen lays down marker | 'Red Bull effortlessly quick'

Red Bull enjoyed a near-perfect day as Verstappen, who won a record 15 races on his way to last season's title, was able to quickly get to grips with his new car.

The RB19 was one of the biggest mysteries going into the opening day of testing, with Red Bull only revealing it for the first time on Thursday morning, having chosen to do a livery rather than car launch at the beginning of February.

When it was finally rolled along the pit lane, there was little major surprise, with the car following the highly successful design scheme of its predecessor, with the most noticeable change deeper undercuts on its sidepods.

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner spoke to Sky Sports F1 during the first day of pre-season testing

The initial signs were that it will also perform similarly to the RB18 on track, with Verstappen quickly moving to the top of the timesheet and ending the opening session on top after temporarily being displaced by Sainz.

Verstappen, who will return to the cockpit on Friday morning before handing over to team-mate Sergio Perez for the remainder of testing, appeared satisfied.

"It was good," he said. "A lot of laps, which is of course what we wanted.

"Basically a smooth day, no issues, and we could really focus on the car, try a few things and understand the new tyres for this year."

Asked about his expectations for when competitive running begins next weekend, Verstappen added: "It's difficult to tell at the moment but the car's running well and I think that's the most important thing."

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Former racing driver and Sky F1 pundit Anthony Davidson impersonates David Croft to perfection during day one of testing

Sky Sports F1 pundit Anthony Davidson was hugely impressed by Red Bull's display.

He said: "It looks like it's come effortlessly to them. They've run around with no real dramas and Max looks super comfortable in the car.

"It looks like they've done their programme and they just happen to be fastest, rather than chasing fast times."

While neither Ferrari nor Mercedes could be accused of chasing fast times either, the fact that they were unable to match Verstappen will only strengthen Red Bull's status as favourites ahead of the new season.

While Mercedes were able to avoid the bouncing issues that troubled them so greatly last season following the introduction of new design regulations, there were still signs the problem has not totally gone away.

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The controversial topic from last season returns, as Ferrari’s SF-23 was seen bouncing on the opening day of testing in Bahrain

Ferrari and Alpine looked to be two teams experiencing bouncing despite the introduction of new rules forcing teams to run their cars higher off the ground in an attempt to avoid the issue.

However, the surface at the Bahrain International Circuit is particularly bouncy, and Ferrari's new team principal Fred Vasseur said he hadn't seen anything concerning.