P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Daniel Ricciardo ended first practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix fastest for the Visa Cash App RB team ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Ricciardo shot to the top of the first official time sheet of …
Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest time in first practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix for the Visa Cash App RB team, with Lando Norris close behind for McLaren. Ricciardo’s best lap of 1m32.869s put him at the top using the soft tire, a strategy also adopted by Norris. The soft compound allowed Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda to follow closely in third and fourth, all within 0.314s of the leader. However, with FP1 in Bahrain typically being considered unrepresentative, due to the setting and teams focusing on data gathering rather than outright performance, the true pecking order remains unclear. Max Verstappen faced challenges with his car and expressed frustration over team radio, while Mercedes and Ferrari opted for a more conservative approach. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly struggled with pace, hinting at potential difficulties for their teams, while Haas prioritized long-run pace, leaving Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg at the bottom of the timesheets.
