Lewis Hamilton faces a huge challenge to close Sebastian Vettel’s early lead in the world championship standings after receiving a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change the team had to institute after a hydraulics leak at the first round in Australia.
A software error cost Hamilton a probable win in Melbourne as the Ferrari driver established a seven-point advantage with victory. After the race Mercedes admitted the British driver suffered a hydraulics leak, adding that he was fortunate to finish the race, let alone in second place.
It means Hamilton will start only sixth even if he manages to post the quickest time in qualifying on Saturday.
Kimi Räikkönen topped the time sheets in second practice at Bahrain, the only session that takes place in the evening and thus most representative of race conditions, ahead of his team-mate Vettel, with Valtteri Bottas in third and Hamilton in fourth. Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull was quickest in the afternoon during FP1.
Meanwhile proposals for the future of Formula One including a cost cap and louder engines were received with general approval when presented to the teams on Friday.
The sport’s owner, Liberty Media, unveiled its five-point plan outlining its vision of F1 for 2021. However, its objectives remain broad and a considerable and potentially difficult period of negotiation remains.
Liberty’s blueprint was a distillation of concepts that have previously been aired by Ross Brawn, F1’s sporting director. The key points include cheaper, louder and simpler engines, that will be more attractive to new manufacturers, and a cost cap, understood to have been set at $150m. The big teams currently spend an estimated $300m.
It also contains a proposal for revenue distribution to be more balanced, based on performance, and including a recognition of historical franchises and value – a reference to additional payments to teams such as Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, above their share of performance revenue.
There is also an intention to have cars better suited to race one another, making the driver the predominant factor and maintaining the unique design while standardising parts that are not relevant to fans.
The proposals given to the teams are understood to have included more detail than was publicly released and are crucial to the future of the sport. Christian Horner, who has long been critical of the rules as they stand, was broadly optimistic.
“The positive thing is they are focused on the fans,” he said. “On creating a better show, a more affordable F1. The big question is the devil in the detail. They have put big issues up but how is it going to be delivered?”
Ferrari and Mercedes have previously expressed disquiet about the proposed changes with the former threatening to leave and the task now facing Liberty is reaching agreement with them.
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, believed it was a constructive starting point. “The positive of today is we know what their vision is,” he said. However, he was cautious about the proposed cost cap. “We need to work with Liberty and find a compromise, that number will not be achievable but we are all in the same financial reality.”
“My priority is protecting our structure and our people. We have been here a long time and the same with Ferrari and Red Bull, so you need to ask how you can achieve a sustainable business model without having any hardship on anybody.”
The teams below them on the grid, for whom this represents a chance to close what has become a vast gap to the top three, were unsurprisingly positive. Claire Williams, the Williams deputy team principal, was enthusiastic. “Everything they presented from revenue redistribution to cost cap is absolutely everything we want to see from 2021 and beyond,” she said. “I’m personally delighted at the proposals.”
McLaren’s executive director, Zak Brown, concurred. “I think the direction they’re taking is the right direction,” he said. “The sport starts with the fan and that’s what Liberty are focused on. We all recognise the sport is not where it needs to be today, so it’s in our collective interest to improve the show.”Brawn has described the current regulations as a deterrent to new teams and his plans met with approval from Andy Palmer, the head of Aston Martin. “These prospective changes support many of the requirements needed for Aston Martin to enter the sport as an engine supplier. This is a very positive step in the right direction,” he tweeted.