Daniel Ricciardo has become the first driver to lead a practice session in the 2024 F1 season, having set the pace in Free Practice 1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The RB driver posted the quickest lap of the hour with a time of 1m 32.869s on the soft tyre, putting him 0.032s clear of Lando Norris in second while fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri claimed third.
FP1: Ricciardo tops first practice in Bahrain as 2024 F1 season officially kicks off
Yuki Tsunoda took fourth from Fernando Alonso in fifth, while reigning world champion Max Verstappen – who had earlier topped the timesheets on the medium tyre, despite making some complaints about his RB20 over team radio – ended the session in sixth.
The drivers took to the track in windy and warm conditions, while only six opted to run the soft tyre as many stuck with the mediums ahead of more representative conditions in Free Practice 2.
Click on the video player above to relive the action from FP1 at the Bahrain International Circuit.
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