Bad luck continues to hit Perez in 2024: Red Bull problems and a red flag

Max Verstappen didn't have any issues during the first day of testing in Bahrain, but it's been a struggle for his teammate Sergio Perez. The bad luck continues to hit the Red Bull driver as his RB20 brakes caught fire, and then a red flag ended the morning session early. The Mexican only managed to do 20 laps.

Reduced session for all

However, he's not the only driver with that problem. Charles Leclerc ran over a loose drain cover, which triggered the first red flag of winter testing. The Ferrari driver didn't pick up any major damage like his teammate Carlos Sainz did in Las Vegas as the Italian team put the floor back on the car. The FIA confirmed the session would not resume with one hour remaining on the clock.

The afternoon session will be extended from four hours to five hours. It's unconfirmed whether Perez will get to complete his scheduled hour in the afternoon session before giving Verstappen control as scheduled. Perez is due to be in the car for the entire Friday. 

Leclerc fastest

Leclerc recorded a 1:31.750 and completed 36 laps. The Ferrari car looked to be handling better, and that time would've placed him second fastest on Wednesday's leaderboard. Oscar Piastri was 0.5 seconds behind, and Logan Sargeant rounded out the top three. Perez posted the fourth fastest time; a 1:32.879.

Lewis Hamilton recorded his first miles during pre-season testing. The Mercedes wasn't on rails and was often sliding around with the rear tyres complaining. He finished sixth fastest and completed 39 laps. The seven-time World Champion was only beaten by Yuki Tsunoda on the lap count. Most drivers recorded around 35 laps, with Perez the only notable outlier due to his brake problem in the first hour.