Formula 1 tests in Bahrain: Still sand in the gears

When the three-day Formula 1 tests kicked off in Bahrain, the drivers had to contend with a persistent sandstorm that swept across the track. For Sebastian Vettel, not everything went according to plan. After only 39 laps, Vettel rolled out in his Aston Martin at the entrance to the pit lane with a defect and had to pause for short repairs.

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The wind did not make it easy to keep the car on the road, said Vettel. Still, it was a good first day. Teammate Lance Stroll indicated the potential of the Aston Martin in fourth place overall in the afternoon. However, the times were not yet meaningful – also because of the conditions.

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The teams took the sandstorm with humor. AlphaTauri even chose comparisons to the Star Wars universe. The AT02 of the Red Bull sister team landed in a distant Galaxy on Tatooine, the racing team tweeted.

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Mick Schumacher struggled with hydraulic problems in his Haas. The debutant could only do 15 laps in the desert of Sakhir because the gearbox had to be changed on the racing car. He was only able to drive at the limit for three laps, said Schumacher.

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Verstappen fastest, Mercedes with problems

The fastest man of the day was Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was also the most successful kilometer collector with 139 laps. Hamilton only ranked in midfield, the world champion finished tenth. For a long time, Hamilton struggled with a lack of grip in his Mercedes, and modifications were made to his car again and again.

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With a total of only 48 laps, Mercedes was also the bottom of the day. “If we have even more problems, it will be difficult in just three days,” said Motorsport Director Toto Wolff during the lunch break, referring to the limited test time this year. The gearbox on Valtteri Bottas’ car had to be changed in the morning, after which the Finn only managed six laps.

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Technical problems are all the more serious this year because the test drives have been shortened from six to three days for cost reasons. Ideally, each driver only has twelve hours to get used to the car before the start of the season on the last weekend in March in Bahrain. Especially since a record season is planned with 23 races. After an economically lossy Corona year, Formula 1 urgently needs income.

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