| 09:50:34
| Welcome to F1-Live.com and our live coverage of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. Next up is the first 90 minute practice session. |
| 09:52:19
| For the first time this year, there will be no test drivers in action at this event due to calendar clashes with WSbR and GP2. That is good news for the Williams Toyota and BMW Sauber race drivers. |
| 09:54:25
| The teams tested at Sakhir in February, so as was the case last time out in Malaysia, they all have plenty of data already and should be able to get down to fine tuning the chassis. |
| 09:57:08
| As ever, testing on Friday is free of engine limitations. They can change the units at the end of the day ahead of what for most will be the first race of the two race cycle. |
| 09:57:58
| Unsurprisingly, it is dry and sunny in Bahrain! |
| 10:00:10
| The 90 minute session is now underway. |
| 10:01:05
| As ever, the drivers will aim to complete one installtion lap and then pit for checks. |
| 10:01:36
| Kubica, Trulli, Davidson, Schumacher and Liuzzi all head out. They'll soon be back in the pits. |
| 10:02:44
| The early runners return to the pit lane as Button, Sato and Speed head out. |
| 10:04:09
| Hamilton and Barrichello are now on their installation lap. |
| 10:06:07
| Now it is the turn of Fisichella, Albers and Sutil. No one has completed a timed lap as yet. |
| 10:08:08
| Eight minutes gone and Alonso is on his installation lap. Some said that Malaysia in particular suited Alonso's driving style and Sakhir will not. We shall see. |
| 10:09:40
| Alonso pits the McLaren. No one on track. |
| 10:10:20
| Many will use the morning session to work on pure speed while the afternoon session is usually given over to long runs to evalaute the tyre performance. |
| 10:10:49
| Kovalainen and Wurz head out for Renault and Williams. |
| 10:12:45
| Nick Heidfeld heads back out and should be the first to complete a timed lap in a few minutes. |
| 10:14:19
| So far the Ferrari duo, the Red Bull Renault duo and Nico Rosberg have yet to leave the pit lane. |
| 10:14:35
| Heidfeld is on his first timed lap as Webber heads out. |
| 10:16:07
| A 1:36 first lap from Heidfeld who remains on track in his BMW Sauber. Scott Speed heads out in his STR2. |
| 10:17:35
| Trulli joins Heidfeld and Speed on track. |
| 10:19:03
| Heidfeld continues as Speed sets his first timed lap six-tenths slower than the F1.07. |
| 10:20:56
| So the early action sees Jarno Trulli move fastest ahead of Heidfeld and Speed. Button and Sutil head back out for Honda and Spyker. |
| 10:22:27
| Albers is back out in his Spyker as well. This team need all the mileage they can get after two poor Grand Prix and virtually no testing. |
| 10:24:13
| A pretty slow start to the day in Bahrain. No sign of any of the big players on track yet. |
| 10:25:01
| Speed runs off track in the Toro Rosso but is able to continue. Ralf Schumacher is up to P3 in his Toyota. |
| 10:25:22
| Barrichello, Kubica and others now on track. |
| 10:26:17
| Ralf Schumacher moves second fastest behind team-mate Trulli. |
| 10:28:23
| Even at this early stage it is pretty clear how slow the Spyker Ferrari package is. |
| 10:31:29
| Kubica moves third fastest |
| 10:32:13
| Fisichella runs off track. |
| 10:32:48
| Raikkonen and Rosberg are on track |
| 10:33:49
| Fisichella puts in a slow lap after his off and continues. |
| 10:34:14
| Now Tonio Liuzzi runs off track as Raikkonen starts his timed lap. |
| 10:34:33
| Liuzzi returns to the STR pit. |
| 10:35:05
| Raikkonen's first timed lap moves him fastest by over a second. Lewis Hamilton heads out. |
| 10:36:18
| Raikkonen starts another fast lap. Ferrari were stung by some pretty unfair comments in the Italian media after Sepang. They will be very keen to dominate this time out. |
| 10:36:44
| Raikkonen takes another half second off his own best time. |
| 10:37:24
| Hamilton moves second fastest albeit 1.5 seconds off Raikkonen. Alonso and Massa remain in the pits. |
| 10:38:47
| Fisichella and Kovalainen are slowly working their way up the order for Renault. |
| 10:39:26
| Still no sign of Felipe Massa. |
| 10:40:00
| Heidfeld makes a small gain in the BMW Sauber but some way off the pace still. |
| 10:40:38
| Alex Wurz is on his first timed lap of the day in his Williams Toyota. |
| 10:42:27
| Raikkonen and Hamilton continue to lap on a relatively long run as does Heidfeld in the BMW. |
| 10:44:09
| Wurz's first lap moves him 12th as Raikkonen and Hamilton pit. |
| 10:45:06
| Raikkonen was on the hard tyre for that run. Again this weekend they have the choice of the Hard and Medium compounds from Bridgestone with the softer option having the white ring. |
| 10:46:08
| Wurz makes a slight improvement in the Williams. Jarno Trulli is back on track in his Toyota. |
| 10:48:45
| Webber and Sato are on their first timed laps. |
| 10:50:49
| Webber records his first lap time, team-mate David Coulthard remains in the pits. |
| 10:52:16
| Felipe Massa and David Coulthard head out for Ferrari and Red Bull. |
| 10:53:06
| Jarno Trulli, third, goes off track in his TF107. |
| 10:53:27
| Trulli returns to the pits having lost it under braking. |
| 10:54:07
| No installation lap for Massa who starts his first timed lap. |
| 10:54:33
| A slight improvement from Nico Rosberg. |
| 10:54:48
| Massa vaults second fastest on his first lap. |
| 10:55:48
| Coulthard's first lap is three seconds down on Massa. |
| 10:56:06
| Now only Alonso has yet to set a time. |
| 10:58:00
| Fernando Alonso heads out in his McLaren Merecdes as Massa trims the gap to his team-mate. |
| 10:59:57
| Another gain from Massa as Alonso starts his timed lap. |
| 11:01:09
| Alonso moves third behind Massa and just ahead of Hamilton. |
| 11:02:33
| Alonso is not going to improve on his second lap. Hamilton is back out in the sister MP4-22. |
| 11:03:02
| Alonso lost around four seconds on that lap with a small off. |
| 11:04:05
| Unusual to see Red Bull Renault so far off the pace. Coulthard and Webber are 19th and 20th ahead of only Spyker. |
| 11:05:28
| Hamilton, fourth, brakes too deep and runs wide. Now Raikkonen does the same. |
| 11:07:38
| Wurz (11th) spins his Williams Toyota. He has been running the medium tyres so far in this session while most have opted for hard rubber. |
| 11:08:41
| Alonso and Hamilton both run wide on that lap so they are obviously pushing hard on the now slightly worn tyres. |
| 11:09:36
| Raikkonen remains on track. Massa, Alonso and Hamilton in the pits. |
| 11:13:16
| Not much action at the moment. Raikkonen has just pitted his Ferrari leaving Fisichella and Heidfeld the only front-runners on track. |
| 11:14:11
| Heidfeld has opted for some medium tyres and is looking to move up the order. |
| 11:15:11
| Heidfeld improves and moves between the two Toyota drivers. |
| 11:15:49
| Barrichello is on track and moves up the order in the Honda. |
| 11:15:57
| Massa heads back out. |
| 11:18:20
| Albers continues to lap in the Spyker but remains over a second slower than Sutil. |
| 11:20:44
| Heikki Kovalainen improves to seventh only to be bumped down a position as Button also improves. |
| 11:23:43
| Most of the front-runners are now back out with six minutes remaiming. |
| 11:25:08
| Alonso is on the softer option tyre at the moment as he trims the gap to Massa to half a second. |
| 11:26:30
| Hamilton also makes gains and moves third fastest. The two McLaren drivers have been very evenly matched in this session so far. |
| 11:29:01
| A gain for Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri Honda. He is now ahead of team-mate Davidson who is in the pits. |
| 11:30:03
| Wurz runs off track in the Williams |
| 11:30:12
| The chequered flag is out. |
| 11:31:34
| Ferrari dominate the opening session of the weekend wirh Raikkonen fastest from Massa. Liuzzi gains ten places on his final lap to move eighth in his STR. |
