F1 LIVE | Testing in Bahrain: Norris leads the session as McLaren's form continues

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13 March 2021 at 14:12
Last update 13 March 2021 at 14:12
  • GPblog.com

The first day of testing is over, and most teams know exactly what they need to work on during the second. Three drivers will make their first appearance on Saturday. After a troublesome Friday, Mercedes will be hoping Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas get plenty of on track time. 

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An old friend returns

Of the four 'new' faces, Nikita Mazepin, Mick Schumacher and Yuki Tsunoda have already completed the first kilometres of 2021. The last of these four is, of course, Fernando Alonso who will make his return to an official Formula One session on Saturday after leaving the sport after 2018.

Saturday will be a special day for Sergio Perez. He will take on the entire day at Red Bull Racing after Max Verstappen was the fastest on Friday and drove the most laps. Alonso, Perez and Nicholas Latifi will drive a full day, while other teams are opting to have drivers share the day.

An exciting day for Mercedes

For Mercedes, it will be a very important day. In 2021 there are only three test days and the first of these was already halved for the German team. Valtteri Bottas struggled with gearbox problems in the Friday morning session, which prevented him from completing more than six laps.