Bahrain test Day 1: Hamilton heads Giovinazzi

40

Following his early morning issues, Lewis Hamilton wrestled back the fastest lap at the end of the first day of in-season testing at Bahrain.

The Mercedes driver fell victim to an electrical issue early on but once the problem was solved, the Brit ran through his assigned workload as scheduled.

Alternating short and long runs as Mercedes put its tyres through its paces in a bid to understand their weakness in Sunday's race, Hamilton ended the day with 1m31.258 run on soft rubber.

Sebastian Vettel focused on development work for Pirelli, leaving Ferrari resreve driver Antonio Giovinazzi to handle the team's development programme.

The German driver's day was partly compromised however when an engine problem set him back, but Pirelli received authorization to prolong its session by three full hours.

Daniel Ricciardo, the morning's pace setter settled for third but his day was also cut short when an engine failure seized his Red Bull RB13 which was left stranded at Turn 1.

The team will fit a replacement unit for Max Verstappen's day tomorrow.

Romain Grosjean sampled new brakes from Carbon Industrie as the team's mulls a supplier change. The Haas driver ended the day fourth, just in front of Williams' Felipe Massa and Renault's Nico Hulkenberg.

McLaren's Oliver Turvey, who completed just two installation laps in the morning before a leak was discovered with his Honda's ERS, took to the track late in the day, completing 17 laps and ending the day the bottom of the timesheet.

GALLERY: All the action from the Day 1 in-season testing at Bahrain

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.