Fernando Alonso rolled back the years to go fastest in FP2 ahead of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix with an unbeatable lap time of 1:30.907.
His pace throughout both practice sessions on Friday will continue to worry the British team's competitors on the grid as pundits persist in their views that they're primed to put the pressure on frontrunners Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes this season.
Earlier in the day, Red Bull's Sergio Perez had gone fastest in FP1, the first time that all 20 cars had been on track together in 2023 as preseason testing last weekend saw teams limited to one driver taking to the circuit at any given time.
For all the lap times that were logged during Friday's practice sessions in Bahrain, The Sporting News has you covered.
MORE: F1 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix: Predictions, odds, betting tips and best bets
F1 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix FP1 & FP2 live commentary, highlights: As it happened
End of FP2: Veteran Fernando Alonso finishes top of the time sheets in the second practice session of the day, ahead of Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
As explained before, take these standings with a sizeable pinch of salt given that teams are still exploring their setups, but that is mightily impressive from Aston Martin, who look very pacy.
10 minutes left of FP2: Not long left for others to try and beat Alonso's quickest time so far. Red Bull pair Verstappen and Perez sit in P2 and P3 at present, followed by Leclerc and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg.
20 minutes left of FP2: There's plenty of drivers struggling to slow themselves down to take corner one on the correct line. Seems like the main cause is coming in the form of certain cars 'bottoming out'.
That's when the underneath of the cars strike the floor when at top speed, usually when carrying a substantial amount of fuel.
30 minutes left of FP2: A lightning quick lap puts Lance Stroll top of the charts in FP2 for the time being but its his teammate Alonso that bites straight back to go top at the halfway stage.
That Aston Martin car looks very strong.
40 minutes left of FP2: Lewis Hamilton squeezes into P3 as it stands, though it must be noted that all the frontrunners are currently on softs tyres with one exception: Red Bull. Expect to see Verstappen and Perez switch soon to the quicker tyre and don't be surprised if they assume the lead on the time charts again here in Bahrain.
45 minutes left of FP2: It's absolute chaos out there in terms of traffic on the track. Leclerc gets in the way of Perez before we see a replay of Piastri only just avoiding a huge collision with Stroll who was drifting out of the pit lane aimlessly. That was a close one!
50 minutes left of FP2: Ferrari are quick out of the blocks in this session as Charles Leclerc goes fastest through the first ten minutes with a 1:31.843. He's followed closely by teammate Carlos Sainz - just a tenth behind - as both begin FP2 on soft tyres.
Start of FP2: Here we go again for FP2 then folks. Unlike the three preseason testing sessions and FP1 we've seen so far, this latest hour-long run comes after sunset in Bahrain.
Given both qualifying and the race this weekend will come in the evening, this session should give us a few more times that are representative of what we'll see when it matters most both tomorrow and Sunday.
15 minutes until FP2: Where do we stand then after FP1 and preseason testing?
Well you'd have to say that Red Bull look absolutely dominate so far, though Ferrari aren't too far behind. Aston Martin seem primed to challenge Mercedes this season, though McLaren and Alpine out of the midfield cars need to improve. French team Alpine have seemingly underwhelmed a bit so far overall, however team principle Otmar Szafnauer remains very confident.
30 minutes until FP2: So all of the drivers should be back on track in just under 30 minutes time at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Sergio Perez is currently the man to beat time wise, but from listening to the interviews in the break, it sounds like just about every team was happy with their FP1 performance. The exception was Ferrari's Carlos Sainz though, who suffered a huge spin which limited his overall running during the opening practice session.
End of FP1: The first practice session of the year comes to a close with Red Bull's Sergio Perez clocking the fastest time. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso finishes in P2, half a second off the pace, whilst Perez's teammate Max Verstappen comes home in P3.
There's still plenty of testing going on throughout the field so take those opening standings with a huge pinch of salt.
10 minutes left of FP1: It's traffic galore at the Bahrain International Circuit as all the drivers push to get in as many laps as possible during this opening practice session.
15 minutes left of FP1: Heart in mouth stuff for Ferrari's Carlos Sainz as he goes for a huge spin through the middle sector. Thankfully the Spaniard catches his car before he hits the barrier.
20 minutes left of FP1: An interesting story for Ferrari here as they actually tested a one pillar rear wing on Leclerc's car through the first half of FP1. Let's just say, it didn't work as it was so unstable around the corners in particular. He's now had the original two pillar structure put back on his car.
Perez is still the fastest man on track at present, clocking a 1:32.758 lap on soft tyres.
30 minutes left of FP1: So far every driver has posted a time aside from Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. He's only done two warm up laps so far, which is interesting given his wrist injury a few weeks back, but it actually looks like a car problem instead.
Lando Norris is also having something fixed on his McLaren car which isn't ideal as the British team missed plenty of track time throughout preseason testing as well due to multiple problems.
40 minutes left of FP1: Red Bull's Sergio Perez goes fastest as Williams' rookie Logan Sargeant comes over his radio complaining of a burning smell in his car. Hopefully that's nothing too serious and just a case of the plank under the car hitting the floor.
Elsewhere, fellow rookie Oscar Piastri goes off the track slightly after a snap of oversteer. It should be noted that McLaren struggled throughout preseason testing with many predicting that they'll struggle in 2023.
50 minutes left of FP1: 16 cars are out on the track at present as Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso puts in the fastest time of the session so far with a 1:35.048. His teammate Lance Stroll does feature today by the way after he missed preseason testing through injury.
We'll see far quicker laps today though as teams begin to ramp up their pace throughout the day.
START OF FP1: Here we go then F1 fans. Logan Sargeant is the first driver on track and we're away for the opening practice session of the season!
15 minutes until FP1: For those of you who are new to F1 this season, there are usually three free practice sessions over a race weekend (excluding Sprint race weekends). The sessions last for an hour and drivers mostly use this time to find their rhythm which is especially important before this weekend's opening race.
These sessions also act as an opportunity for the teams to test out their cars in different set ups and a bit further into the season, it allows them to further trial new car parts such as front wings and so on.
30 minutes until FP1: As expected, there's still so many talking points ahead of the new 2023 F1 season and we're hoping that a few could be potentially answered today in practice.
Granted, we're not going to see teams go flat out at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday but free practice should highlight where teams are this season in terms of pace a little more. The most surprising could be Aston Martin who, at least according to whispers around the paddock, could be set for a very successful season.
1 hour until FP1: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of FP1 ahead of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix!
For the first time in 2023, we'll see all 20 cars out on the track as excitement builds ahead of Sunday's opening race of the season in the Middle East.
Who was fastest in FP1?
Results below are from free practice one at the Bahrain International Circuit.
| Driver | Team | Lap time |
| Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:32.758 |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0:438 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0:617 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.407 |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +1.499 |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.540 |
| Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +1.644 |
| Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | +1.817 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | +1.931 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +2.159 |
| George Russell | Mercedes | +2.208 |
| Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +2.239 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +2.257 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | +2.285 |
| Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +2.347 |
| Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri | +2.644 |
| Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +2.697 |
| Logan Sargeant | Williams | +2.991 |
| Alex Albon | Williams | +3.260 |
| Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +3.314 |
Who was fastest in FP2?
Results below are from free practice two at the Bahrain International Circuit.
| Driver | Team | Lap time |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:30.907 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0:169 |
| Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0:171 |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.460 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | +0.469 |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.543 |
| Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.568 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.636 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.663 |
| Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | +0.679 |
| Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +0.701 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | +0.886 |
| George Russell | Mercedes | +0.975 |
| Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +1.049 |
| Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +1.117 |
| Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +1.203 |
| Alex Albon | Williams | +1.533 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +1.618 |
| Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri | +1.698 |
| Logan Sargeant | Williams | +1.842 |
What time does the F1 race start?
- Date: Sunday, Mar 5
- Start time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m ET / 2 a.m AEST (Mar 6) / 6 p.m. local time
Sunday's 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. local time. Lights out will take place just after 3 p.m. GMT.
Below is the complete schedule for the weekend's F1 events at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
| Date | Event | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Mar 3 | Practice 1 | 11:30 a.m. | 6:30 a.m | 10 p.m |
| Friday, Mar 3 | Practice 2 | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m | 2 a.m (Mar 4) |
| Saturday, Mar 4 | Practice 3 | 11:30 a.m. | 6:30 a.m | 10 p.m |
| Saturday, Mar 4 | Qualifying | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m | 2 a.m (Mar 5) |
| Sunday, Mar 5 | Race | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m | 2 a.m (Mar 6) |
What TV channel is the F1 on?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV Channel | Sky Sports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox Sports |
Where can I live stream F1?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live Stream | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+ | fuboTV, TSN Direct | Kayo |
F1 season schedule 2023
In 2023, the Formula One Calendar will be made up on 23 races across four different continents.
The action begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5 and will end on November 26 in Abu Dhabi.
Here's the latest schedule (subject to change):
| Date | Race |
| March 5 | Bahrain Grand Prix |
| March 19 | Saudi Arabia Grand Prix |
| April 2 | Australian Grand Prix |
| April 30 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix |
| May 7 | Miami Grand Prix |
| May 21 | Emilia Romagna Grand Prix |
| May 28 | Monaco Grand Prix |
| June 4 | Spanish Grand Prix |
| June 18 | Canadian Grand Prix |
| July 2 | Austrian Grand Prix |
| July 9 | British Grand Prix |
| July 23 | Hungarian Grand Prix |
| July 30 | Belgian Grand Prix |
| August 27 | Dutch Grand Prix |
| September 3 | Italian Grand Prix |
| September 17 | Singapore Grand Prix |
| September 24 | Japanese Grand Prix |
| October 8 | Qatari Grand Prix |
| October 22 | United States Grand Prix |
| October 29 | Mexican Grand Prix |
| November 5 | Brazilian Grand Prix |
| November 19 | Las Vegas Grand Prix |
| November 26 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
How to watch Formula 1 in the US
- TV channel: ABC; ESPN
- Live stream: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV
F1 fans in the USA can catch all the action in 2023 with all 23 races set to be shown live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. For Spanish-language viewers, they can find live broadcasts on ESPN Deportes, though ESPNews and ESPNU will also show some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.
As well as on the official F1 TV service, the action can be live streamed on Hulu + Live TV with subscriptions. Elsewhere, Sling TV will also show the action, as too will FuboTV in the US.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live stream: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.
Races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN's streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you're an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
- Live stream: Kayo
Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia for the 2023 season.