Expectations high as the new F1 season is around the corner

F1 teams and drivers ready themselves for the upcoming season as they look to get off on the right track while they prepare for the first F1 race in Bahrain.

In the two Free Practice sessions that happened on Friday, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari showed great promise.

Charles Leclerc finished within a tenth of a second to the current champion Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes looked off pace and weren’t competing as much as they would’ve liked. The British driver finished FP 1 in 7th place while teammate George Russell ended up at the 4th spot.

As for the second free practice session, Lewis Hamilton finished 9th.

Pierre Gasly looked in good flow as he topped the first free practice being 0.364s quicker than Charles Leclerc.

Nico Hulkenburg who replaced Sebastian Vettel for the Bahrain race had a disappointing Friday as he finished both sessions in 14 and 17 respectively.

Kevin Magnussen and Haas showed good pace as he stated ” he feels super excited by the Haas pace”

Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher both finished FP2 in the top 10.

Alpine and Fernando Alonso also showed some good pace, with the Spaniard finishing 8th and 5th in the two sessions.

However, Mclaren looked off pace as both Lando Norris and Daniel Riccardo failed to finish in the top 10.

It already feels like it is going to be a long season for Mclaren.