Bahrain day one - Glock sets the standard at Sakhir

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Toyota’s Timo Glock was the early leader as this week’s test in Bahrain got underway on Tuesday. With the majority of teams choosing to test at the Spanish circuit of Jerez this week, Ferrari and BMW Sauber were the only other outfits in action at the Sakhir track.

Despite fog delaying the start of the session, conditions at the circuit improved before lunch and Glock was able to cover 79 laps of set-up work in the TF109. The German, who set a best time of 1m 33.501s, enjoyed a trouble-free day and will continue to test on Wednesday.

“The fog held us up briefly at the start but it wasn't a major problem,” he explained. “We did a lot of set-up work and in the end we found a good direction. The car felt quite consistent so this is already a positive sign. We got through a lot of laps so this was an encouraging start to the test.”

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, meanwhile, finished the day in second in the F60, which featured the same aerodynamic configuration the Italian team ran at Mugello last month. Massa focused on set-up work in the morning, before carrying out a long run in the afternoon, and covered 98 laps.

Completing the day’s line-up was Robert Kubica, who was third for BMW Sauber. Despite a brief mechanical problem, Kubica managed to complete 95 laps in the F1.09 over the course of the day.

“It was the first time I was able to drive the new car in warm weather”, said the Polish driver. “We learned a lot about the car’s behaviour in these conditions, so overall
it was a good day.”

Toyota, Ferrari and BMW Sauber will continue to test at the Bahrain track on Wednesday.

Unofficial Tuesday times from Bahrain:
1. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:33.501
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:33.615
3. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:33.702