Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

It's looking to probably be a two-stop race, Max Verstappen does have a brand new set of soft tyres that he can bolt on, everyone is starting on the soft tyre.

Andrew Priestley: Let’s see who has the consistent race pace and how close it is to Red Bull at the head of the field. Lewis Hamilton said that he sacrificed his one-lap pace yesterday in favour of his race setup, he may hope that he gives a good showing this afternoon if that is the case

Away goes the field for the formation lap.

Everyone looks to be away smoothly and they are all on soft tyres.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

There is a headwind down the main straight, it's not as strong as it has been over the course of the weekend, but if that does continue and it gets a little bit stronger that is going to make DRS even more important. We will keep an eye on that over the race.

Nulla Pax: Oh I hope this is going to be entertaining. I don't care if Max runs away with it, but let's have some interest from the other drivers please.

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Toto Wolff speaking to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix: "I think we know we have a good car. There are four, five cars bunched together, you could be fourth or seventh.

"I think we shall see what will happen. We have a new car and it's still a process. I think the drivers are not too far apart. I'm excited!"

Here's a reminder of the grid before we get going.

Just minutes away...

Image source, .

Lando Norris speaking to Sky Sports: "We're just in a pack, which is close. If I make a mistake, I will have to pay the price. It can easily go our way, but can go another way, we will see.

On whether McLaren have a chance to get on the podium: "It's a tough ask, I think so, if things go our way. There's a lot of cars we need to overtake. We will find out in a minute."

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

There's plenty of movers that will certainly want to make their way up the field, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, I'm sure they will be slightly disappointed with their starting position today.

As well as Lewis Hamilton who had a pretty good start to the practice days but then just didn't seem to get it together yesterday, he said he went the wrong way with the set-up.

Ian Fergusson
BBC weather forecaster

It's a slightly warmer & noticeably less windy scenario today, coupled to a shift in wind direction. With 15 minutes to race start, air temp is 18.5C and the track 24.7C. Light wind from the northeast. No risk of rain. Enjoy the race!

The Bahrain Police Band has just performed the national anthem and we've had a fly by.

The opening race of the season is almost here!

McLaren boss Zak Brown told Sky Sports on the grid about his team's chances today from seventh and eighth on the grid: "I think we left a little bit of time on the table in qualifying, the grid is unbelievably close, I think we can move forward from here, I don't think a podium is out of reach."

Image source, Getty Images

Fernando Alonso is 42 but showing no signs of slowing down as he impressed in qualifying yesterday, securing a fine sixth.

The sky is getting dark above the circuit as celebrities and ex-drivers wander the grid as lights out approaches. Neymar and ex-Manchester United defender Patrice Evra have just shared a hug, while Jeremy Clarkson is on there.

Haas' Nico Hulkenberg speaking to Sky Sports before the start of the race: "I feel ok, I feel happy, the season starts and we get racing. I feel optimistic. I'm excited to see what happens in the next couple of hours.

On how the car looks: "It looks better on paper, the lap times feel better. Hopeful for a bit more performance and can fight a bit more in the middle. It will be interesting to see."

Pole sitter Max Verstappen said ahead of the race: "Everyone is just looking forward to do the race now, we've done a lot of laps here in preparation, long runs, so I'm excited. Normally our car is good in the race but as you can see also in qualifying the gaps are very small and I expect it to be the same in the race.

"It feels like the top eight, nine cars are a lot closer and I think that's great to see. Obviously we have to wait and see everyone on full fuel at the beginning of the race. I do think it will be quite an interesting race."

George Russell talking to Sky Sports before the Bahrain Grand Prix: "I'm feeling good. It's a nice, it's an amazing reminder how special the sport is. We have had two, three months off, you have the qualifying nerves and anxiety of what's to come. There's excitement ahead of the session.

"To get the P3 was a good result to get for the team, we will see what the race brings.

"If there's an opportunity on Lap One, Turn One, I will take the chance. We've all made a good step but we've got to be realistic. Red Bull have won almost every single race last year."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Brazilian footballer Neymar is in attendance for today's race and has been meeting some of the drivers before they headed out to the grid.

Alpine will be hoping for a much better showing today than in qualifying yesterday.

They finished sixth in the constructors' standings last season but made a raft of changes to their car for 2024 to try and close the gap to the leading pack.

However, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will line up 19th and 20th respectively after things didn't go to plan yesterday.