Bahrain GP: Lewis Hamilton fastest in 'crazy Thursday' practice

Lewis Hamilton reflected on a "crazy Thursday" that saw him finish fastest in practice for Saturday’s Formula One curtain raiser in Bahrain.

Friday qualifying: 7pm (8pm UAE)

Saturday race: 7pm (UAE)

TV: BeIN Sports

The seven-time world champion has not won a race for more than two years, but he led a surprise Mercedes one-two under the lights of the Sakhir Circuit on Thursday night.

Hamilton finished two tenths clear of teammate George Russell, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso third.

On yet another explosive off-track day for Red Bull, Max Verstappen bemoaned the handling of his machine as the triple world champion finished down in sixth.

There was no sign of Mercedes challenging at the front during last week's testing in Bahrain, but they dominated Thursday's second session, much to Hamilton's surprise.

“This has been a crazy Thursday,” said Hamilton, 39. “I don’t understand it, and it is a shock to see us where we are, but we will take it for now.

“We cannot get ahead of ourselves. We need to keep our head down and keep working on the setup.

“But I am much happier with the car. I have a better feel of it approaching the corners, and there are other areas that have been fixed and improved.

“It feels like a race car and the last two cars didn’t feel like that. It is a really good platform to work from. We have to keep our heads down and keep on chasing.”

Lewis Hamilton led the way at the end of day one in Bahrain