All events from the first morning of the 2024 F1 testing session were summarized.

Max Verstappen propelled Red Bull’s newly introduced 2024 Formula 1 car to the leading position in Bahrain, with the 10 teams collectively completing over 500 laps during the initial morning of pre-season testing.

The initial morning of 2024 testing provided an opportunity for a closer examination of the RB20, which was described during its launch last week as an “aggressive” evolution of the RB19, which secured victories in all but one of last year’s 22 grands prix.

New details revealed included halo inlets and a more intricate sidepod design, with Red Bull seemingly dividing its inlet into two sections on the 2024 car.

Although the RB20 initially seemed challenging to handle during the four-hour session, it displayed better cooperation when Max Verstappen switched to the mid-range C3 tire with yellow sidewalls, setting the fastest time within the first two hours.

Verstappen, who later returned to the Red Bull car on Wednesday afternoon, improved his time on subsequent runs, ultimately concluding the session with a best time of 1m32.548s – making him the only driver to surpass his day one benchmark from 2023 (1m32.837s).

Charles Leclerc briefly approached within two tenths of Verstappen’s time, but the Ferrari driver ended the session 0.699 seconds behind.

Despite encountering a couple of lock-ups and some bouncing issues with the SF-24 approaching Turn 1, Leclerc’s session was largely uneventful.

Fernando Alonso was the only other driver within a second of Verstappen’s early benchmark, completing 77 laps in the new Aston Martin AMR24.

McLaren experienced a sluggish start to the morning, but Oscar Piastri managed to complete over 50 laps, securing the fourth-fastest time, three tenths behind Alonso.

Although the MCL38 had been highly anticipated, its appearance did not reveal significant differences from the previously seen specification.

Yuki Tsunoda secured the fifth-fastest time for the rebranded RB team, ahead of George Russell, who had a relatively quiet session for Mercedes.

Russell spent an extended period in the Mercedes garage mid-session, with the team emphasizing a focus on learning rather than simply accumulating mileage.

Alex Albon, eighth behind Valtteri Bottas’s Sauber, was the only driver to stop on track during the session, bringing the Williams FW46 to a halt on the outside of Turn 3 with 25 minutes remaining.

Esteban Ocon secured ninth place for Alpine, while Kevin Magnussen’s Haas encountered some time in the garage due to a reported fuel system issue, ultimately finishing 10th, 3.144 seconds off Verstappen’s pace.

Here are the times from Wednesday morning:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) clocked 1m32.548s on the C3 tyre, completing 66 laps.
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) trailed by 0.699s also on the C3 tyre, completing 64 laps.
3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) followed closely at +0.837s on the C3 tyre, completing 77 laps.
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) was +1.110s behind on the C3 tyre, completing 57 laps.
5. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) was +1.588s behind on the C3 tyre, completing 64 laps.
6. George Russell (Mercedes) followed at +1.682s on the C3 tyre, completing 48 laps.
7. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) trailed by +1.883s on the C3 tyre, completing 68 laps.
8. Alex Albon (Williams) was +2.039s behind on the C4 tyre, completing 40 laps.
9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) followed at +2.129s on the C1 tyre, completing 60 laps.
10. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) concluded at +3.144s on the C3 tyre, completing 66 laps.