Sergio Perez tops Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen in first practice with Aston Martin challenging Red Bull; Ferrari and Mercedes don’t run soft tyres, Carlos Sainz has big spin; Watch Practice Two live on Sky Sports F1 at 3pm

Sergio Perez topped the timesheets ahead of Fernando Alonso in first practice for the Bahrain GP as the Formula 1 2023 season began with surprise package Aston Martin as Red Bull’s closest challengers.

Perez, underlining Red Bull’s status as favourites to defend their titles, set the pace with a 1:32.758 on soft tyres – a time that was around a second slower than the quickest time of pre-season testing at Sakhir last week.

A lack of representative lap times was a theme for the session but Aston Martin, the only other expected frontrunner running on the quickest tyre, and new multi-title-winning signing Alonso, did prove their speed.

Alonso was just 0.438s off Perez, splitting the Red Bulls. Max Verstappen was surprisingly off the pace, another two tenths back in third.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to analyse the fastest lap from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso during opening practice in Bahrain.

Neither Ferrari nor Mercedes ran on the soft tyres, though Charles Leclerc did still place fifth – behind McLaren’s Lando Norris – while running the mediums.

Team-mate Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, was last and had a huge spin in a car that struggled for balance.

Mercedes were also quiet in terms of headline times, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell only 10th and 11th and more than half a second off Leclerc on the same tyre and more than two seconds off Perez.

“I think it was really hard to read that session, actually,” said Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle in Bahrain.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Charles Leclerc’s rear wing was wobbling all over the place during first practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix

“The cars all over the place in terms of times. The Aston looks pretty strong and Red Bull, of course, too.

“It was generally quite interesting but I don’t think there is a ‘wow, now we know'”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Both McLarens went off track at the Bahrain International Circuit during P1 as the team made a difficult start to the new season

Practice One did, though, see Alonso’s team-mate Lance Stroll return to the track after missing pre-season testing with a wrist injury.

Stroll, who had surgery last week, was kept in the garage for 20 minutes due to an ignition issue and finished sixth.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Mercedes engineering director Andrew Shovlin admits they will start the season behind the Red Bulls, but is confident they can close the gap as the season progresses.

The mixture of practice times also made the midfield battle difficult to predict, with Norris finding much more speed than rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri on the soft tyres, while Alfa Romeo and Haas were evenly matched and Alpine slower than predicted.

Practice Two – in the much more representative, and faster – evening conditions in Bahrain, is live on Sky Sports F1 at 3pm after build-up at 2.45pm.