F1 testing 2023: Max Verstappen impresses on opening day as Fernando Alonso takes surprise second

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen topped the timesheet on the opening day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain as Red Bull received "positive signs" from their new car.

Verstappen, who goes into the 2023 season seeking a third successive title, topped Thursday's opening session from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, before improving by a tenth in the afternoon to stay marginally clear of Fernando Alonso, who set an eye-catching time for his new team Aston Martin.

The Dutchman, who was the only driver to feature in both sessions on the first of three days of testing, completed a remarkable 157 laps at the Bahrain International Circuit, which will host the opening Grand Prix of the season on March 5.

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Charles Leclerc, who finished second to Verstappen last year, slotted into fourth behind his team-mate Sainz, while Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren despite losing track time after the team needed to carry out "precautionary repairs" to his car.

Mercedes appeared unable to match Verstappen's pace as Lewis Hamilton finished sixth after driving in the later session, but were at least encouraged by the apparent absence of the bouncing issues that plagued their disappointing 2022 campaign.

The seven-time world champion completed an impressive 83 laps, while team-mate George Russell earlier managed a solid 69 laps of running which left him ninth at the end of the day.

Alex Albon was seventh for Williams, but the apparent success of a team many expect to be at the back of the field this season offers a reminder that testing timesheets must be viewed with caution, given the potential for teams to be running vastly different setups.

Albon's new team-mate Logan Sargeant finished the day highest of F1's three 2023 rookies, with Nyck de Vries 13th for AlphaTauri and McLaren's Oscar Piastri 18th.

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Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich, who was called in at short notice to replace the injured Lance Stroll, also delivered a solid display as he overcame an early breakdown, which led to the only red flag of the day, to complete 40 laps and finish 14th.

Verstappen lays down marker | 'Red Bull effortlessly quick'

Red Bull enjoyed a near-perfect day as Verstappen, who won a record 15 races on his way to last season's title, was able to quickly get to grips with his new car.

The RB19 was one of the biggest mysteries going into the opening day of testing, with Red Bull only revealing it for the first time on Thursday morning, having chosen to do a livery rather than car launch at the beginning of February.

When it was finally rolled along the pit lane, there was little major surprise, with the car following the highly successful design scheme of its predecessor, with the most noticeable change deeper undercuts on its sidepods.

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The initial signs were that it will also perform similarly to the RB18 on track, with Verstappen quickly moving to the top of the timesheet and ending the opening session on top after temporarily being displaced by Sainz.

Verstappen, who will return to the cockpit on Friday morning before handing over to team-mate Sergio Perez for the remainder of testing, appeared satisfied.

"It was good," he said. "A lot of laps, which is of course what we wanted.

"Basically a smooth day, no issues, and we could really focus on the car, try a few things and understand the new tyres for this year."

Asked about his expectations for when competitive running begins next weekend, Verstappen added: "It's difficult to tell at the moment but the car's running well and I think that's the most important thing."

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Sky Sports F1 pundit Anthony Davidson was hugely impressed by Red Bull's display.

He said: "It looks like it's come effortlessly to them. They've run around with no real dramas and Max looks super comfortable in the car.

"It looks like they've done their programme and they just happen to be fastest, rather than chasing fast times."

While neither Ferrari nor Mercedes could be accused of chasing fast times either, the fact that they were unable to match Verstappen will only strengthen Red Bull's status as favourites ahead of the new season.

While Mercedes were able to avoid the bouncing issues that troubled them so greatly last season following the introduction of new design regulations, there were still signs the problem has not totally gone away.

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Ferrari and Alpine looked to be two teams experiencing bouncing despite the introduction of new rules forcing teams to run their cars higher off the ground in an attempt to avoid the issue.

However, the surface at the Bahrain International Circuit is particularly bouncy, and Ferrari's new team principal Fred Vasseur said he hadn't seen anything concerning.