Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel ended up at the top of the timesheets for the first session of practice in Bahrain. They were untroubled by the Mercedes duo, who finished outside the top ten as they concentrated on heavier fuel loads.

High track temperatures dominated the early part of the session, as Jolyon Palmer stepped into the Lotus for the second weekend in a row. Jenson Button had no luck, spinning his McLaren on track after just three laps, and he ended the session without setting a lap time.