Ferrari had a mixed morning in Bahrain, with Sebastian Vettel setting the fastest time in first practice. Kimi Räikkönen, however, managed only six laps before his Ferrari broke down. McLaren followed suit, with Stoffel Vandoorne stopping out on track. Fernando Alonso did get into the top ten, though.

The conditions weren't suited to gathering a lot of data, as they were unexpectedly hot and unlike what will be experienced over the rest of the weekend. Mercedes were running in the middle of the timesheets, concentrating on longer runs and heavy fuel loads rather than fast lap times. And Felipe Massa spun his Williams, but finished in fifth place.