Tom Clarkson
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

"This is a great chance for McLaren to evaluate Stoffel for 2017. He is young, hungry, he will be cheap and if he stacks up well against Jenson Button this week it will put the pressure on Button to justify a seat for next year."

Stoffel Vandoorne is out for his first taste of the circuit, immediately gathering some aera data with an aero rake attached to his McLaren.

Most drivers have been out for an install lap, but they are back in now with K-Mag having the track pretty much to himself.

The circuit is open and 90 minutes of first practice is under way. Esteban Gutierrez is straight out in the Haas but there's no rush in the Mercedes garage to get out early doors, neither Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are in their cars as they let other drivers clean up the dusty track.

Fernando Alonso being ruled out of the weekend was the big story on arrival in Bahrain, but let's not forget what was a thrilling start to the season in Australia, with Nico Rosberg taking victory.

That's four straight wins for Rosberg continuing on from the end of last season, and Lewis Hamilton will be desperate for victory on Sunday.

Postpublished at 11:58 British Summer Time 1 April 2016

11:58 BST 1 April 2016

The Sakhir circuit is pretty much in the middle of a desert, so it has to be dry and sunny, right? Correct. 

However, that was not the case yesterday because there was a rare bit of rain, prompting 1001 Bah...rain jokes on Twitter. Hilarious.

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Not long until practice gets under way, 10 minutes to be exact.

We'll have BBC Radio 5 live sports extra commentary from Jack Nicholls and the gang in Bahrain from 11:55 BST. Tune in by clicking the audio icon on this page.

Right, as it is April's Fools Day, tell us what your favourite F1-related April Fools pranks is. Have you ever been caught out by a story, and was there a story that was so outlandish, it could have passed for an April Fools but actually turned out to be real.

Here's a blast from the past, Red Bull's tweet on 1 April a couple of years ago, where they claimed a new steering wheel design would enable drivers to send tweets during the race.

Get involved #bbcf1, external or text in on 81111 (UK only).

So, Fernando Alonso is out of this weekend's race. It means for the second successive season he has had to miss a race because of injury, after missing the 2015 season-opening Australian Grand Prix after crashing in testing.

We're running a vote that puts you in Fernando's boots, asking what would you do if you were him.

Check the options on the right side of this page, or click the vote tab to make your choice. The vote will close at 17:00 BST.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain

Image source, Getty Images

It’s quite a way to make a debut for Stoffel Vandoorne - replacing one of the all-time greats, as team-mate to a world champion and hopping into the car for the first time after an overnight flight from Japan. 

But it says a lot for the regard in which Vandoorne is held that his former McLaren colleague and Formula Renault title rival from 2013 Kevin Magnussen expects him to compete with team-mate Jenson Button from the start. “He’s well good enough to be in F1,” the Dane said. “They have a really good simulator. The radio ban means he has a bit more to remember but in terms of driving the car he should be fast."

Image source, Google

Stoffel Vandoorne has been on quite a journey to get to the point where he is on the verge of making his F1 debut. Literally quite a journey.

He had only recently arrived in Japan to take part in the Super Formula series before getting the call in the early evening to catch an overnight flight to Bahrain.

Just the 14 hours in the air before getting strapped in for practice today then...

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain

The track action has not yet started in the sands of south Bahrain and already it has been quite a weekend. 

The big news is that Fernando Alonso will not be racing for McLaren this weekend because rib fractures he sustained in his huge crash in Australia two weeks ago have not healed. 

Alonso will be replaced by McLaren reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne - one of the hottest talents not yet with a full-time F1 seat. 

Debate - or perhaps exasperation would be a better word - has continued about the new qualifying format. F1 is this year already living up to its reputation for being a hotbed of stories on and off track.

The fact that Fernando Alonso was able to do this....

Image source, Getty Images

...from this was nothing short of a miracle.

Image source, Getty Images

Despite walking away from the crash, Alonso has not been deemed fit to race this weekend.

But from one disappointment, rises a positive.The highly-rated Stoffel Vandoorne will make his grand prix debut this weekend. 

Image source, PA

Forget The Hoff, it's all about The Stoff this weekend.