Ricciardo sets early pace as Bahrain GP off to hot start

Manama, Apr. 6 (BNA): Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing was the fastest man of the weekend’s first Formula 1 practice session on Friday at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, as the Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix got underway in thrilling fashion. The Australian set a best lap of 1 minute 31.060 around BIC’s 5.412-kilometre Grand Prix track under hot and humid conditions. Ricciardo clocked his fastest time while completing 14 laps of work in the hour-and-a-half session. He was 0.304 seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who was in second place for World champions Mercedes, while fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen was classified third 0398s behind. Less than four-tenths of a second separated the leading trio, illustrating the high level of competition between the top three teams in the top flight. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was fourth in the practice with a best lap just 0.410s off of Ricciardo’s pace. Drivers’ World champion Lewis Hamilton was fifth 1.212s back in his Mercedes, while Romain Grosjean of Haas came sixth 1.456s behind. Rounding out the top 10 were Pierre Gasly of Toro Rosso, Carlos Sainz of Renault, Kevin Magnussen of Haas and Nico Hulkenberg of Renault. The second Formula 1 practice was scheduled for 6pm on Friday, while the third will be on Saturday at 3pm. In Formula 2 Championship, Arjun Maini of Trident set the practice pace Maini topped the timesheet on Friday in the free practice session of round one in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, being held in support of the Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. The talented Indian ace set a fastest lap time of 1 minute 44.549 seconds. Maini completed 12 laps of work in the 45-minute session held in hot and humid conditions. Maini was a mere 0.051 seconds quicker than Briton Lando Norris and 0.104s ahead of Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara, both of Carlin. Thai driver Alexander Albon of DAMS, Briton George Russell of ART Grand Prix and Russian Artem Markelov of Russian Time rounded out the top six. A total of 20 drivers representing the 10 Formula 2 teams are taking part in the round. Bahrain’s Shaikh Isa powers to the top of In the Porsche GT3 practice, Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa topped. Shaikh Isa showcased his immense potential in front of an international crowd on Friday as he topped the practice timesheet in the final round of the 2017/2018 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. The meeting is being held in support of the Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Shaikh Isa had a best lap time of 2 minutes 05.908 seconds. The Team Bahrain ace completed 13 laps of work and his peak speed was 154.741kph. Al Faisal Al Zubair of Oman ended the session in second place 0.177 seconds off the pace, while Saul Hack was classified third 0.341s. Rounding out the top six were Dutchman Charlie Frijns, Swede Christoffer Bergstroem and Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer. American singer-songwriter and British EDM duo Disclosure will be taking to the stage on Saturday to continue the world-class music entertainment at the Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Benjamin Booker will be performing first, to be followed by Disclosure. Benjamin Booker’s style has been described as “a raw brand of blues/boogie/soul” and as “bright, furious, explosive garage rock.” He has produced two critically acclaimed studio albums – the first being a self-titled record released in 2014 followed by his second entitled “Witness” last year. Disclosure are Grammy-nominated big names in dance music and they have collaborated with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, The Weeknd, Lorde and Eliza Doolittle, to name a few major artists. Aside from their Grammy nominations, Disclosure have also been nominated for multiple Brit Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and International Dance Music Awards. All with tickets to the Grand Prix will be able to attend the concert. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas of World champions Mercedes will be interacting with fans on Saturday in an Autograph Session. The event will take place at the Mercedes stand at BIC’s Formula 1 Village vending area. It will begin at 1.15pm. Race-goers are advised to come early in order to avoid disappointment and miss out on meeting the popular pair. The Autograph Session for the rest of the Formula 1 teams will take place on Sunday, also at the F1 Village right next to the main stage, starting from 2pm. Saturday’s Schedule of Events Time Series Session 11.40am Paddock Club Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk 11.55am Porsche GT3 First Race (10 laps or 25 minutes) 1.10pm Formula 2 Feature Race (32 laps or 60 minutes) 1.15pm Mercedes F1 Team Autograph Session (Mercedes Stand) 3pm Formula 1 Third Practice Session 4.15pm Formula 1 Pirelli Hot Laps 4.15pm Paddock Club Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk 4.45pm BIC Activity Parachute Display 6pm Formula 1 Qualifying 7.20pm Formula 1 Pirelli Hot Laps 7.40pm Paddock Club Paddock Club Truck Tour