Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver shocked by pace on first day of Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir

Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver shocked by pace on first day of Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir


Lewis Hamilton admitted it was a shock to finish the first day of the 2024 Formula 1 season at the top of the timesheet as Mercedes showed surprising pace in Bahrain Grand Prix practice.

Most had expected Red Bull's Max Verstappen to dominate Thursday's second session, which took place in the same evening conditions as qualifying and Saturday's race will, but Hamilton led a one-two from Mercedes team-mate Russell.

While the seven-time world champion warned that he expects Verstappen to have strong race pace, Mercedes appear to be genuine contenders for pole position in qualifying, live at 4pm on Sky Sports F1 on Friday