Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate George Russell took the top two places in Thursday practice ahead of the opening Grand Prix of the 2024 Formula One season in Bahrain on Saturday.

Seven-time champion Hamilton finished 0.206 seconds ahead of Russell, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso 0.08secs further behind and reigning champion Max Verstappen almost half a second off the Briton in sixth.

Verstappen, who is the clear favourite to win again this season, appeared to be quickest as in the later race-simulation runs later.

“The car was feeling good but we can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Hamilton said. “We know there is more to extract and our long run pace isn’t in the fight with the Red Bulls.

“Overall, though, I’m feeling much happier with the car than last year. We’ve made some good improvements and it feels much more like a race car.”

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Russell reiterated Hamilton’s view, emphasising that Mercedes are “not going to get carried away” after the first day of practice.

“Our qualifying pace did look strong,” he said. “We made some changes from the test and the improvement exceeded our expectations.

“But ultimately our long run pace is where it counts. Verstappen looked comfortably quickest and it was very tight with the Ferraris, the McLarens, and the Aston Martins. So we’ve likely got a real fight on our hands there.”

That’s a wrap on Thursday’s sessions 🎬

Quali day tomorrow 💪 PIC.TWITTER.COM/KEZBKLQGAI

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Verstappen assessed his performance as “not too bad”. “It’s very close,” he told the official F1 channel.

“Maybe some people around us already turned up the engine a bit, in terms of top speed. But we just focused on ourselves.

“There were a few little balance issues from front to rear but nothing big. It’s just about trying to find that sweet spot.

“Especially around here, with the rough Tarmac, once you get it into that sweet spot you just pick up time. That’s what we’ll try to focus on a little bit more for tomorrow.”

Bahrain Grand Prix: Verstappen feels Red Bull ‘can do better’

“It’s going to be very close in qualifying. So that’s, I think, going to be very nice. And then the long run, I was a bit happier about that. But again, there are a few little things that we can do better.”

“It’s not too far away, it’s just trying to get into it and feel a little bit happier with the car. But at the end of the day, you also just want to focus a bit on the long runs, because that’s where the car really needs to work.

“Qalifying is important but we need to make sure that the car is in good shape for the race.”

Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg was seventh in front of Alonso team-mate Lance Stroll, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has demanded Formula One and the FIA rubber-stamp Red Bull’s investigation into the conduct of team principal Christian Horner.

Horner was yesterday cleared of displaying inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague following a probe by an independent lawyer, and was back in the pit lane this morning ahead of practice for the season-opening race in Bahrain.

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Brown is not satisfied the outcome draws a line under the matter given the lack of information in the Red Bull statement.

He said: “I think from what I’ve seen there continues to be a lot of rumours and speculation, questions.

“I think the sanctioning body has a responsibility and authority to our sport, to our officials. I think all of us in Formula 1 are ambassadors for the sport on and off the track, like you see in other sports, and so I think they need to make sure that things have been fully transparent with them.

“And I don’t know what those conversations are and that needs to be thorough, fully transparent, and that they come to the same conclusion that has been given by Red Bull, and that they’ve agreed with the outcome.

“But I think until then, there’ll continue to be speculation because there are a lot of unanswered questions about the whole process.

“So I think that’s what’s needed by those that run the sport to really be able to draw a line under it. Until then, I think there’ll continue to be some level of speculation by people and I don’t think that’s healthy for the sport.”

He added: “I think it’s the responsibility ultimately of the organisers of Formula 1, the owners of Formula 1, to make sure that all the racing teams and the personnel and the drivers and everyone involved in the sport are operating in a manner in which we all live by, so I don’t think it’s the team’s roles and responsibilities.

“I think that’s up to the FIA and Formula 1, to ultimately decide and ask what they feel gives them the level of transparency that they need to ultimately come to their conclusion, and we just have to count on them that they fulfil that obligation to all of us.”

Toto Wolff and Zak Brown give their thoughts on Red Bull’s statement that Christian Horner will continue in his role as Red Bull team principal after allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against him were dismissed following an investigation. PIC.TWITTER.COM/PF22SRM4CK

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Toto Wolff, Horner’s counterpart at Mercedes, backed Brown’s view that there was a greater level of transparency needed before everyone could move on.

He said: “My personal opinion is we can’t really look behind the curtain. At the end of the day, there is a lady in an organisation that has spoken to HR and said there is an issue. It was investigated and yesterday the sport has received a message, ‘it’s all fine. We’ve looked at it.’

“And I believe that with the aspirations as a global sport, on such critical topics, it needs more transparency and I wonder what the sport’s position is.

“We are competitors, we are a team and we can have our own personal opinions or not, but it’s more like a general reaction or action that we as a sport need to assess what is right in that situation and what is wrong.”

Erik ten Hag says he can “smell” the excitement in the Manchester United players ahead of Sunday’s derby with Manchester City.

City have been in ominous form over the past couple of months, winning 14 and drawing one of their last 15 games in all competitions and head into the weekend on the back of a 6-2 battering of Luton in the FA Cup.

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United have also been impressive of late with last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham their only loss in their last nine games.

Asked what gives him confidence ahead of Sunday’s Etihad Stadium showdown, Ten Hag said: “Our form, we are also in a good run, the spirit is very good, we are united, we have togetherness to make a good gameplan like we have done before, against City but also against Liverpool.

“We will prepare well, the players are ready for it, they are looking forward to it – I can smell it when I speak to the players. We are excited.

“They have a good team – that’s the challenge. But there are more good teams.”

United edged through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last night – Casemiro’s late header securing a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest and a last-eight clash with Liverpool – and Ten Hag insisted his team’s season would not be defined by the City game. 

“No, because there are many more games to play and we are in the FA Cup in a great game too,” he added.

“After City, there are many more games and we know we have to catch up but the games are there for us to catch up in the right position.”

🚨 Erik has the latest on the fitness of his squad 👇#MUFC || #PL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) FEBRUARY 29, 2024

New United minority owner Jim Ratcliffe has been vocal in his desire to knock treble-winners City “off their perch” but Ten Hag doesn’t believe that adds extra pressure.

The Dutchman said: “I think that has nothing to do with it [this match] but we want to win every game, that is always our mentality and approach.

“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is but you always want to play against the best. Most of the time we feel, and you can also see it, that the opposition get their best outputs against Manchester United.

“Maybe this game is the other way around but we know we have to give everything, a team performance if you want to get the result there but if you do that, it is possible.”

Erik ten Hag today lashed out at Fulham, claiming it is “absolutely not right” the club put out a TikTok that made fun of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.

A clip of Fernandes appearing to make the most of minimal contact from Cottagers midfielder Sasa Lukic during Fulham’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Saturday has been circulating on social media this week and this morning appeared on the London club’s official TikTok account.

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The video was accompanied by comedic music, a caption of “so glad he’s okay” and an eye roll emoji.

When informed of this, Ten Hag outlined his displeasure and demanded an apology.

He said: “It’s not right. It’s absolutely not right that a club makes such a statement, it’s totally out of order and they were wrong and they should apologise for this.”

🗣️ “It’s totally out of order and they were wrong”

Erik ten Hag says Fulham should apologise for a TikTok video poking fun at Bruno Fernandes during their win against Man Utd 🗯️ PIC.TWITTER.COM/4CFEZX2RZD

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Ten Hag also felt Fulham targeted Fernandes on the pitch at the weekend, adding: “He [Fernandes] is a very passionate football player and he is a very creative football player. He is creating the most chances in the Premier League.

“You see opponents are targeting him and especially Saturday when he had the knock and they see it. Then I feel that the referee should protect him.”

Asked where the Portugal international ranks in terms of the players he has coached, Ten Hag said: “Very highly. First of all, his football skills, he is so creative in the final third, creating chances, he is an absolutely key player and can score a goal.

“But also his output, his contribution to defending jobs, leading and reading situations, reading the press and running in the right moments and pointing other players around him. He shows leadership by example.”

United edged into the FA Cup quarter-finals – and a meeting with Liverpool – last night following a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, Casemiro nodding in a last-gasp winner.

These scenes! 🤩🔥#MUFC || #FACUP PIC.TWITTER.COM/EATHRVLSJV

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Fernandes and Raphael Varane had been injury doubts for the game at the City Ground but Ten Hag said they came through unscathed and should be fit for Sunday’s Manchester derby against City at the Etihad.

The Dutchman said: “They fought to be part of the game and they came out of it well so I think they will be available for Sunday as well.

“I don’t think any other players will return from Sunday so it will be the squad from yesterday.”