Sakhir, March 18: AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly topped the first practice in Bahrain Grand Prix, as the 2022 Formula 1 season featuring revolutionary new cars got underway, here on Friday.

However, reigning world champion Red Bull's Max Verstappen, not taking a risk during the practice, began his title defence with the fifth-quickest time. George Russell was the leading Mercedes in fourth, 0.4s off the pace but a quarter of a second quicker than teammate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (P7). Bahrain GP: Sebastian Vettel Tests Positive for COVID-19 Ahead of F1 2022 Opener.

Gasly used the soft tyres to pump in 1m 34.193s, 0.364s clear of the medium-shod Charles Leclerc, who had a 360-degree spin when on the medium tyres before recovering, with Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz third.

Lance Stroll slotted into sixth for Aston Martin, with teammate Nico Hulkenberg -- who is standing in for Sebastian Vettel after his compatriot tested positive for Covid-19 -- a second off in 14th.

Fernando Alonso was eighth ahead of AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez closing out the top 10. Zhou Guanyu began his rookie year on a high note with the 11th-quickest time, after his first run on the red-walled soft compound tyres.

McLaren =- who had a front brake duct upgrade after they encountered so many problems in testing =- had a very low-key session with Lando Norris 16th and Daniel Ricciardo, who has recovered from Covid-19, 17th. Mick Schumacher headed Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen =- who had a late call to replace Nikita Mazepin this season -- in 18th, three-tenths separating the duo.

Valtteri Bottas had a difficult session, the Alfa Romeo failing to register a time. He retreated to the pits after reporting a misfire on his initial installation lap, and while he came out once more, he headed straight back to the garage again.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2022 11:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).