For the first time since the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, fans are being treated to seeing F1 cars on a racetrack, with pre-season testing in Bahrain now well underway.
Not only have the fans been able to watch their favourite drivers on the track once again, they have also been treated to a practice starts=, giving them a glimpse at what the race start will look like at the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix.
Towards the end of Friday’s practice session, a number of drivers decided to form a mini race start as part of a red flag procedure to complete a practice start.
Kevin Magnussen started from P1, with Logan Sargeant, Lando Norris, Guanyu Zhou, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton all forming the grid behind.
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The practice start nearly ended in chaos however, as not every driver responded to the five red lights going out, as they do at the start of every race.
Magnussen got away well and sped off down to turn one but the two drivers behind him, Sargeant, Norris and Zhou, did not move, forming a mini blockade on the track.
Carlos Sainz sped away from P5 but was then forced to slam his brakes on and take evasive action to avoid the stationary cars ahead of him, with the Spaniard doing well to avoid a collision.
Hamilton experienced a similar situation from the back of the mini grid, with the Brit also having to avoid a number of static cars in front of him as he tried to complete the practice start.
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It is unclear exactly why Sargeant, Norris and Zhou failed to move when the lights went out, with the race start procedure seeming obvious to everybody watching.
The red flag was quickly brought out as the cars slowly sorted themselves out, bring the session to a halt and forcing the driver to return to the pit lane to explain themselves.
With only one day of pre-season remaining, the teams will be hoping that Saturday’s session end a lot smoother than Friday’s morning practice.