The Latest Breaking News from Bahrain

The three-day test at the Sakhir International Circuit has been stopped twice due to the drain cover on the approach to the track’s Turn 11 coming loose.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit opted to pursue a different direction in an attempt to stay ahead of the opposition, and early lap times in Bahrain testing have indicated that tactic has yielded a significant step forward - Verstappen topping the leaderboard on the opening day.

Sainz set the pace at Bahrain International Circuit in the second of three days of testing, ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.

The new SF-24 has looked good from the start of track running in Bahrain, and crucially its on-track behaviour has mirrored that seen in the Maranello simulator.

Russell had a full day in the car in Bahrain on Wednesday, before Hamilton took over on Thursday.

Verstappen was over a second ahead of the rest of the field in Bahrain, giving a glimpse of Red Bull's continued dominance.

Nielsen is present in the Bahrain paddock wearing an F1 shirt, although he does not have an official full-time title.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull topped the timesheets, over a second clear of the competition after completing a mammoth 142 laps aboard the new RB20.

Having first run at a filming day in Bahrain earlier this week, Russell had exclusive use of the car for the opening day of pre-season testing on Wednesday in Bahrain.