SAKHIR, Bahrain – As the sunlight dimmed and the temperature fell at Bahrain Int’l Circuit on Friday, Ferrari found its stride and easily led the way during practice for the Grand Prix of Bahrain.
Räikkönen’s top time came on Pirelli’s red, supersoft tires – the softest and fastest compound available for the weekend.
“It was a pretty straightforward day and the car felt OK,” said Räikkönen. “As on any Friday, we tried different things, tested and learned as much as possible. The feeling was pretty much the same everywhere, but in certain zones of the track we want to do better. If we look purely at lap times it was OK, but that doesn’t tell you much. It’s only the first day and it’s impossible to know what the others were doing.”
Räikkönen ran a total of 32 laps in the session, despite a 15-minute practice hold at the end of the round due to a bobbling wheel that was not properly attached to his car.
“At the end of the second session, right after the pit-stop, I felt some vibrations in the car and the team told me to slow down and park the car,” Räikkönen explained. We found out that the front wheel was a bit loose, so we had to stop. “For sure we still have to improve, so tonight we’ll put all the data together to try and do even better the rest of the weekend.”
The F-1 stewards subsequently fined the team 5,000 euros for an unsafe pit release.
Ferrari’s closest rivals – the Silver Arrows of Mercedes AMG Petronas – were unable to get close to the scarlet cars, as Mercedes’s W09 seemed far less happy on the red-marked rubber.
Still, Valtteri Bottas (1:30.380) and defending champion Lewis Hamilton (1:30.472) landed third and fourth, respectively, at the end of the second practice session.
“It’s been a normal Friday, we’ve gotten through all our (usual) routines,” said Hamilton. “It looks very close between all the teams and we definitely have got some work to do to try and see if we can eke out to be ahead of the others.
“The tires have felt the best they’ve felt here in years; very stable and with less degradation. The track is great and it’s amazing at night-time. The hospitality here is really second to none as well; it’s an enjoyable stay and a great place to work.”
The Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, who led the first free practice, were fifth and sixth overall on Friday.
Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, Toro Rosso’s
