A head-scratching session for Ferrari this morning. Not only did Carlos Sainz save a spectacular spin down at Turn Nine, the rear wing of the SF-23 was wobbling around at an alarming rate. We'll keep eyes on the Scuderia during this second practice run.

Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull were best in show during the opening session a few hours ago, with Sergio Perez topping the time sheets with a 1:32.758 on the soft tyres.

Are Aston Martin the team watch in 2023? Only time will tell but for now, Fernando Alonso is coaxing decent pace out of the AMR23 in order to challenge the frontrunners.

Alonso's team-mate Lance Stroll, who returns to action after missing pre-season testing through injury, managed to bank 17 laps and a sixth-placed finish in first practice.

Image source, Formula 1 Twitter

Hello again, folks. End of the working week for so many, so let's round it off with some more Formula 1 action.

First practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix is complete, now second practice goes green at 15:00 GMT.

You can listen to full commentary with Jack Nicholls, Formula E driver Sam Bird, Rosanna Tennant and Andrew Benson on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, the BBC Sounds app and at the top of this page using the audio icon from 14:55 GMT.

Fernando is (probably) ready to go again. Shall we suit up and join him?

Image source, EPA

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Bahrain

Image source, Reuters

Sergio Perez underlined the belief that Red Bull are favourites for the 2023 championship in first practice at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Mexican was 0.438 seconds quicker than the impressive Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, with world champion Max Verstappen in third place.

Verstappen, apparently struggling with a lack of front-end grip, was 0.617secs behind his team-mate.

McLaren's Lando Norris was fourth and Lewis Hamilton 10th for Mercedes.

Read the full report here

Time for a spot of lunch and a stretch before second practice goes green.

Come back and join us again at 14:30 GMT. Radio commentary will be live at 14:55 GMT.

See you shortly.

Do the hopes of an exciting championship fight this season rest on the veteran shoulders of Fernando Alonso? What will the Spaniard be able to show us during tomorrow's qualifying session?

The rest of the top 10 is made up of Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.

Like Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, Mercedes' Hamilton set his fastest time on the yellow medium tyres.

1. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 1:32.758 (soft)

2. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.438 (soft)

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.617 (soft)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.407 (soft)

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +1.499 (medium)

Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

Perez can, on occasion, match Verstappen. He might be able to do it six or seven times a year. But Red Bull are happy to have a number one and number two driver. It suits them.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have yet to sample the soft tyres. Both drivers have done their 60-minute running on the medium compounds.

Only one of the Mercedes drivers has cracked the top 10, and that's Lewis Hamilton. The other Silver Arrow of George Russell is one position below the seven-time world champion in 11th place.

Five minutes to go in this first practice session and Lance Stroll opens up his Aston Martin for a first proper run out. The 24-year-old has bolted on some soft red rubber and jumps up into sixth place with a 1:34.298. His experienced team-mate Fernando Alonso is still splitting the two Red Bull drivers in second.

Well, Charles is still in the top five, but his time in P4 has prematurely come to end.

That's because Fernando Alonso is determine to prove this Aston Martin has the wheels to challenge the big guns this season. The Spaniard is a soft-tyre runner and goes up into second place with a 1:33.196. Alonso is still four tenths away from Sergio Perez's quickest marker.

Charles Leclerc was the Bahrain Grand Prix winner in 2022 and is hoping to replicate the strong start he made to season last year - and carry it on for the rest of the campaign.

The Monegasque driver is now on a set of medium tyres and pushes his Ferrari up into fourth spot on the time sheets with a 1:34.257.

1. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 1:32.758 (soft)

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.617 (soft)

3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.407 (soft)

4. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) +1.817 (soft)

5. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo) +1.931 (soft)

Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

They've just changed the rear wing on Sainz's car and he's gone down into an area where there's a lot of lateral G-force and braking. That rear wing would be under a lot of work. Could there potentially be a mounting issue or is that a driver mistake?

Turn Nine is the bogey man collecting up drivers, having already claimed Oscar Piastri with a huge twirl during pre-season testing.

Aston Martin are straight on the radio trying to give Lance Stroll a bit of feedback. "Just let me drive the car," is the Canadian's reply.

Whoa! Massive spin at Turn Nine from Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari. The Spaniard goes off into the run-off area but saves the day and is back on his way with a loud screech.

Those tyres are done my friend.