Report: 149 laps completed on first day of testing

Williams Racing are reflecting on a productive first day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Alex Albon completed 74 laps in the opening session whilst Logan Sargeant took charge of the FW45 as the sun set in Sakhir, notching up 75 tours of the 5.412km venue.

“We got some good mileage in today which is a positive,” AA23 explained, after finishing the day in P7 with a best lap time of 1:33.671.

“So far, the FW45 is going okay and it’s been really useful to get some good laps in. In terms of pace, it’s really hard to say, especially in that midfield section.

“We have a lot of work to do but I think these conditions are more representative of what we’re going to experience during the year, with the heat and the wind, compared to our rollout at Silverstone.

“It’s only day one of testing but it’s already been important for us to compare where we are year on year, seeing if we’ve improved in the right areas, and continuing to fine tune the car further and get into a sweet spot.”

LS2 was at the wheel as the sun set in the desert, and our American rookie enjoyed his first taste of Formula 1 pre-season testing, ultimately ending the day P10 on the timesheets, with his best being a 1:34.324.

“It was nice to finally get the chance to get comfortable in the car,” Logan shared, adding: “We got through a really busy run plan between Alex and myself which is great work from the team.

“I think it was relatively tricky as grip seemed quite low. There are a few things to work on going into the next two days but we're moving in the right direction. I'm hoping to make another good step forward tomorrow with a full day of driving.”

Logan will take part in both sessions on day two with the team looking to build upon the 149 laps completed today.

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance, kept a keen eye on all the action from the pit wall and completed our reaction by paying tribute to the whole team who helped get us to this point.

“We had a productive day of testing and completed everything that we planned. The drivers shared the workload and each now has one full day of testing before the opening race of the season.

“Both drove well today and quickly found a rhythm and confidence with the car. The FW45 ran reliably all day and we found no major issues.

“With only three days of pre-season testing, this is very important.

“Conditions today were a little tricky, with the wind gusts affecting the car’s behaviour, and the tyre performance changing as the track temperature varied.

“But this is typical for Bahrain and almost certainly representative of what we will face next weekend.

“We got a lot done today and our challenge now is to complete the analysis in time to influence the setup and run programme for tomorrow.

“Thanks to the hard work of everyone here and in Grove, we’ve had a strong start to the new season but there is a long way yet to go, and this starts tomorrow.”