Daniel Ricciardo starts 2024 F1 season on top at Bahrain GP practice, as drivers raise concerns over marathon season

Daniel Ricciardo kicked off the new Formula 1 season at the top of the timesheets, before getting a dose of reality in the practice sessions at the Bahrain GP.

The Australian eight-time Grand Prix winner was fastest in the first free practice at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

He was just ahead of the McLarens of former teammate Lando Norris and fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri, with current RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda fourth on the afternoon.

Something resembling normality resumed in the second session later in the night, with septuple world champion Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes stablemate George Russell atop the standings, while Ricciardo dropped back to 12th.

“It was a good day and good testing for us,” Ricciardo said as he started his first full season since getting sacked by McLaren in 2022 and replaced by Piastri.

“We had our five minutes of fame in the morning, but as much as it was nice to see your name at the top, we knew … we’d get a true picture of where we’re at this evening.

“During the day, it’s sunny, so there’s a lot to take into account for our strong FP1 result, but track conditions change so much at night.

“I think there’s a little more we can do, so … I’m staying optimistic because we know some areas to find more time. Let’s see if we can crack into the top 10.”

Reigning drivers’ and constructors’ world champions Red Bull was surprisingly off the pace — Max Verstappen was sixth and Sergio Pérez 10th in FP2.

Perhaps they are simply pacing themselves ahead of the longest season in F1 history, with a record 24 race weekends this season.

Verstappen is among several drivers to have raised concerns about the schedule.

All three of the current and former champions on the grid — Hamilton, Verstappen and Fernando Alonso — agreed 24 races push the limits of what F1 drivers and team members can take.

“When I started we had 16 races,” said two-time champion Alonso, who has a record 377 career race starts.

“Now we are up to 24 and this is not sustainable for the future for anyone.”

Verstappen was quick to agree with his rival.

“I feel already that we are way over the limit of races,” said Verstappen, who questioned if some drivers might “start shortening their careers” over the workload.

Since Liberty Media took over F1 ahead of the 2017 season, the number of races has risen from 20, with the Australian GP moved out of the season-opening slot it held for 22 of 24 years from 1996 to 2019.

The Melbourne Grand Prix is the third race of the 2024 season, taking place on the weekend of March 22-24.

The growth is driven by Liberty’s strategy of staging races in destination cities such as Las Vegas, Miami, the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and, from 2026, the Spanish capital Madrid.

Pérez voiced concern for staff on F1 teams who, he said, seemed exhausted at the final races of last year.

“I remember seeing a lot of zombies in Abu Dhabi, after Vegas,” he said.

“It’s not only for the drivers, to be honest … There’s a lot of mechanics, engineers, and basically they travel the world weekend after weekend, a lot of hours on the planes.”

The record number of races means an extended goodbye for Hamilton, who is leaving Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari.

It has also raised concerns over how the expanded calendar might worsen F1’s impact on the environment.

ABC/AP