Max Verstappen and Red Bull Quickest in F1 Pre-Season Testing Day 1

Max Verstappen and Red Bull pull away as the fastest on track in Bahrain during Pre-Season Testing day 1. Red Bull's reworked sidepod design seems to be paying off, as the innovation may have had a hand in Verstappen and the RB20 performing so well.

Verstappen seems to be picking up exactly where him and Red Bull Racing left off last season, dominating the rest of the track. Through a majority of the session Verstappen held the fastest time. McLaren's Lando Norris was the only other driver to hold a faster lap than the Dutchman, but this was short lived as Verstappen didn't waste much time reclaiming his spot on top.

Max Verstappen was Red Bull's only driver participating in the day 1 practice session, as Mexican driver Sergio Perez sat out today. The flying Dutchman was the first to hit the century lap mark, as Verstappen hit the 100 lap marker well before any other driver on the grid, giving the RB20 a nice break in the session.

Formula 1: Looking to Pre-Season Testing Day 2

The only other driver to not participate in today's session was Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes' other driver, George Russell, got the honor of putting in over 100 laps during the first day of practice in Bahrain.

Towards the end of the session, Russell and Verstappen gave us a little early taste of some 2024 racing between the two as Verstappen flew by the British driver.

Lando Norris slots McLaren in as second fastest on the day, as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz takes the third fastest time. Day 2 of Pre-Season testing tomorrow will be interesting, as we will see if the rest of the teams can tweak their cars in order to close the gap with Red Bull.