How Horner, Brown and a power cut spiced up Day 1 in Bahrain

The on-track action did not start until Wednesday in Bahrain, but I was already in Bahrain a day before. It was there that we could initially collect the permanent pass for the rest of the season. This made it a breeze on Wednesday morning to drive to the track and the media car park in one piece.

A big advantage of testing in Bahrain is the working conditions. For the teams, but also for media, it is a lot more pleasant work than European circuits that attract a lot of fans. The logistical facilities in the Middle East also often make the way to the track a lot easier.

The test in Bahrain also normally provides a guarantee of sunshine, where testing in Barcelona can sometimes even produce snow. However, the guarantee of sunshine did not prove valid for this edition. Fifteen degrees combined with a strong wind made the first day of the winter test anything but a warm place. Everyone walked in jackets, and the winter coat left at home was sometimes even missed.

First F1 cars on the track in Bahrain

Once we arrived on the paddock, it was again apparent how quiet a winter test in Bahrain always is. Whereas during a race weekend it is packed with people, a winter test is a lot quieter. Fewer people from the teams, only a few fans and also much less media than during a race weekend.

A winter test is also the chance to get closer to the cars. In the pitlane, or along the track. In the morning of the first session, I chose the pitlane. Lewis Hamilton's first moment in a Ferrari. A unique moment in F1 history. But also seeing young talents like Liam Lawson and Andrea Kimi Antonelli get in for their first metres for their new team.

On the track, you can also see for the first time how the new livery's are reflected. Alpine's stands out and Racing Bulls' livery is especially refreshing. The other cars are, as expected, very close to the livery of a year ago.

On the track itself, everything goes smoothly. Liam Lawson has a moment off track and Fernando Alonso does not make many metres, but all teams are positive about the first metres made. Not yet a team like Alpine in 2024 that immediately reports being in trouble.

Horner and Brown headline press conference

In the press conference, there is time to talk to four drivers and then five team bosses. Among the drivers, five should have appeared, but there is no trace of Nico Hulkenberg. Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, George Russell and Pierre Gasly do appear for the press moment. The latter two burst out laughing at the start of the session; what the two were smirking about remains secret to the outside world.

The session itself went as expected. After the London event, most of the drivers did express their expectations and so it remains to brief reactions. With Zak Brown and Christian Horner in the line-up, the session with the team bosses is already much more relevant in that respect.

After one short question for each representative from presenter Lawrence Barretto, the rest of the press conference becomes mostly a session with Christian Horner. Who responded to the boos in London, the situation with the flexiwings and to a possible rumour about the RB20 being used in Bahrain.

Indeed, it became clear in Bahrain that Red Bull's car, the new RB21, does look very similar to its predecessor. However, Christian Horner stressed once again, as he did in London, that while the RB21 does contain new parts, most of them are not visible to the public. In other words, the modifications are under the floor of the car.

On the booing, Horner was clear. It is part of sport, he argued. In Amsterdam, it would probably have been the other way around. Still, Horner did stand up for Max Verstappen, who Horner said, as a four-time world champion, had deserved a bit more respect from the crowd.

Horner could not count on support from Zak Brown either. He argued that passion from fans is part of the sport and what makes it beautiful. "I have never been to a sporting event where it was quiet. Whether it is football, hockey or baseball, there is always someone expressing frustration or cheering for their team. Sport brings passion. Fans cheer, fans whistle. That's part of it."

Power failure in Bahrain

In the afternoon, a new driver entered the car at all teams. Whereas in the past a full day was sometimes given to one driver on day one, that was not the case for this winter test. It caused some delay, because things have to be changed for the other driver to be able to start again.

Halfway through the afternoon session, however, things went wrong. What initially appeared to be a blackout in the media centre turned out to be a power outage for the entire circuit. Nowhere was there any more power or light. The drivers were lucky with the timing. Indeed, an hour later, it would have been dark and they would not have simply found their way back to the pit lane without lights.

On the paddock, the power being out meant chaos. People from the teams were running around the paddock looking for a solution. Indeed, without power, there was also no possibility of cooling equipment, or even heating tyres through the tyre warmers. A sport so committed to ecological footprint was suddenly full of roaring machines again to keep things running.

The break lasted an hour before the power came back on here and there. First in the paddock, then the lights on the track, and little by little everything seemed to come back on. This allowed the session to continue after all.

Max Verstappen happy with the RB21

It was not surprising that F1 and the FIA then decided to extend the session by an hour. That way, the drivers of the afternoon programme could still get their mileage in. With only three days of testing on the schedule, this was no luxury for teams who have to test their new car in a short space of time anyway.

After the session, Helmut Marko was very appreciative of Red Bull Racing's test session. The Austrian stated to GPblog.com that Red Bull's longruns were the fastest of anyone and that Max Verstappen in particular was very happy with the balance of the car. All the adjustments made created the right effect. Something that was clearly not the case with the RB20.

Of course, it was only the first day of testing, but many teams will travel to the hotel satisfied. All teams covered more than one race distance. Of course some teams just a little more than others, but for all teams there is enough data to go through after eight hours of testing. On to day two.