Bottas on pole for first time, Hamilton 2nd, Vettel 3rd
Hamilton top in Q1 and Q2, Grosjean and Palmer through to Q3
Alonso must change engine for race
Get involved #bbcf1
Tom Clarkson
BBC Radio 5 live commentator
There is a lot of hot air down here in the pitlane. There is a strong head wind down the pit straight and it is like having a hairdryer held to your face. Conditions are different to yesterday, I am not sure how much teams will learn in this session but the cars are going out.
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra commentary is live now.
Tune in via this page.
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain
The subject of Fernando Alonso at Indy was not the only one on which Christian Horner stirred the pot on Friday. He also had a pop at drivers using mobile phones in news conferences.
"F1 is a media business and the drivers, part of their responsibility is to communicate with the fans and in order to sometimes do that, obviously, they’ve got to communicate with the media. My biggest bugbear and the thing that really annoys me is when you see drivers sitting up here with a mobile phone showing zero interest. So, I think mobile phones should be banned from all press conferences with drivers. They can Snapchat now whenever they like outside. I think they have a responsibility.”
The mention of Snapchat, in particular, made it very clear Horner was referring to Lewis Hamilton, for those whose memories extend back to the controversies of the Japanese Grand Prix last year.
Best and worst F1 cameos
Imagine if Jenson Button's cameo appearance ends with him getting onto the podium? Maybe I'm 'barking mad' to even imagine such a scenario but Monaco suits the McLaren package and Fernando Alonso did manage to finish fifth there last season...
On the subject F1 cameos, what's the best and worst you can remember? And I'm not just talking about drivers, it can be teams, random people, animals - anything!
Let us know via #bbcf1 or text in on 81111.
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain
Image source, Getty ImagesFriday in Bahrain was as interesting a day off track as it was on. It started with confirmation of Jenson Button’s return for the Monaco Grand Prix as a stand-in for Fernando Alonso, who will be racing in the Indianapolis 500 that weekend. It ended with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner saying McLaren executive director Zak Brown “must be barking mad” to let his prize asset go to Indy.
“It’s a difficult one for Fernando, he’s having a tough time,” Horner said. “Zak’s got the problem that he got a depressed driver on his hands; he’s trying to keep him motivated. He’s come up with this idea – send him to Indianapolis. It’s the nuttiest race I’ve ever seen. No testing. He’s just going to jump in the car. Turn One is a proper turn as well. It’s not just easy flat all the way round. I think he needs to see a psychiatrist personally.”
Brown replied: “Fernando’s not scared. No, he’s going to get some testing in. He is studying Indianapolis. It’s obviously going to be a challenge but he wants a challenge.”
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Not sure what the picture below is all about. Valtteri Bottas looks happy enough anyway.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt's hot in Bahrain today, and I mean hot.
The thermometer is currently touching 34C at the moment and there is not a cloud in the sky.
It will be a touch cooler when the sun goes down but that's not for a couple of hours yet.
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain
The Bahrain Grand Prix is unfolding into a fascinating weekend. Lewis Hamilton has suspected all along that Ferrari would be tough to beat here and sure enough Sebastian Vettel was fastest in both Friday practice sessions. But it was not possible to say that was representative because Ferrari and Mercedes ran P1 differently and Hamilton had traffic on his first two laps in P2.
On race simulation times on the super-soft tyre, which will be used to start the race, Hamilton was actually 0.2secs clear of anyone else - and the next in line was Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who was a similar margin ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. But Raikkonen did two very quick laps on the soft tyre that no-one else got near. The conclusion?
You’d still probably say Ferrari are favourites for the race, but at this stage it looks like anyone’s game - and Red Bull could well be in the mix too.
Image source, Getty ImagesHello! Welcome along to our coverage of qualifying day for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
With 63 career pole positions, and six in a row since Malaysia last year, Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly the qualifying king.
But could his crown slip off today?