With Sakhir sitting on the abrasive end of the circuit scale, Pirelli have selected firm tyres for the teams to use during this season opener. The majority of the field have gone out on medium tyres, while Logan Sargeant in the Williams is running the hardest C1 rubber.

The two Williams of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant lead out the pack from the pit exit. Alpine are running a massive aero rake during this first practice session. Look like the French team want to do a bit more tinkering before the lights go out on Sunday.

The 2023 practice gates are open.

The sun has got his hat on across all three days in Bahrain, with a light wind also present throughout each session of the season opener.

Image source, Google

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton has been given a medical exemption that allows him to wear his nose stud in the car, despite the ban on jewellery, on the basis that "there are concerns about disfigurement with frequent attempts at removal of the device," stewards’ report says.

A rookie tyre is also making its debut in Bahrain this weekend.

Pirelli has expanded its range of compounds to six for the new campaign, with the brand new C1 tyre selected as part of the three tyre choices for the season opener.

The C1 tyre is based on last year's C2 rubber and Pirelli motorsport director, Mario Isola, told the official website, external the new option allows the tyre supplier to "reduce the performance gap between the harder compounds in the range."

"We expect it to be a valid option for the race this weekend as well," Isola added.

Image source, Pirelli Motorsport Twitter

Image source, Getty Images

It's the first proper day of big school for Logan Sargeant, Nyck de Vries and Oscar Piastri.

Now, whether Alpha Tauri man De Vries can still be classed as a true rookie after scoring points for Williams while standing in for Alex Albon at the Italian Grand Prix last year is still up for debate but for the purposes of this entry, he's a fresh-out-of-the-F1-box newbie.

De Vries and Sargeant clocked a decent amount of mileage during last week's Bahrain test, with American Sargeant notching 229 laps in total for his new team Williams.

Piastri, meanwhile, found the running slightly tougher in the desert as McLaren admitted they have missed their development targets and will start the year on the back foot.

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

A warm welcome to the 5 Live F1 team for the new season.

Commentator Jack Nicholls is joined by British Formula E driver Sam Bird for the opening round, while Rosanna Tennant and chief F1 writer Andrew Benson will be keeping us up to date with everything going on in the paddock.

Full commentary of both sessions is available to listen to on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, the BBC Sounds app and at the top of this page by clicking the audio icon.

Tune in from 11:25 GMT for first practice and 14:55 GMT for second practice.

Jennie Gow has updated us on her recovery journey following the stroke she suffered at the end of December.

In a message on the Chequered Flag podcast, Jennie said she was "progressing well" but added her speech had been "most affected".

All of us here on the BBC Sport website are wishing Jennie all the best with her recovery and hopefully we'll hear her back with the 5 Live F1 team soon.

You can listen to the full 2023 season review on the BBC Sounds app here

Image source, Getty Images

Lance Stroll has been passed fit to race this weekend and will be back behind the wheel for Aston Martin in Bahrain.

The Canadian missed all three days of pre-season testing last week and was replaced by Brazilian reserve driver Felipe Drugovich.

Formula 2 champion Drugovich, along with fellow reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne, will both be at the track this weekend if needed.

Speaking of the training incident, Stroll said: "It was an unfortunate accident. I fell from my bike when my tyre caught a hole in the ground.

"But thankfully the damage was not significant and a successful minor surgery on my right wrist fixed the problem very quickly.

"Since then I've been working hard with my team to ensure that I am fully fit to compete this weekend."

Good morning, folks. Welcome to round one of the 2023 Formula 1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Winter breaks have been enjoyed, training sessions gruelling and intense, new cars have been unveiled and tested. I think we're just about ready to go racing again.

First practice gets under way at 11:30 GMT.

Second practice goes green at 15:00 GMT.

We left off at pre-season testing at the Sakhir circuit unsure as to whether Aston Martin Lance Stroll would participate in the season opener following his wrist injury in a cycling accident.

Is the Canadian fit enough to race?

Image source, Getty Images

The 23-race Formula 1 marathon is about to begin.

Which driver has the stamina to cross the finish line in Abu Dhabi with a drivers' championship trophy in hand?

Start your engines and get set. The first leg of the tour takes us from Bahrain to Australia.

Go! Go! Go!