Gallery: F2's 18-inch tyre era begins in Bahrain
Formula 2 pre-season testing got underway on Sunday in Bahrain, showcasing the championship's new look 18-inch Pirelli tyres.
Sunday morning's opening test session provided a first glimpse of the Formula 1 feeder series' familiar Dallara F2 2018s fitted with their new wheels, which are set to be adopted by F1 in 2021, as well as a slew of new liveries for the 2020 campaign.
Louis Deletraz, who has moved to the Charouz squad for the new season, set the pace with a best lap of 1m45.583s, edging out former Carlin teammate Nobuharu Matsushita - now driving for MP Motorsport - by a scant 0.025s.
Third-fastest was Jehan Daruvala (Carlin), the newest recruit to the Red Bull junior scheme, followed by Brazilian pair Pedro Piquet (Charouz) and Felipe Drugovich (MP).
Ex-Williams F1 racer Sergey Sirotkin, deputising for the absent Christian Lundgaard at ART Grand Prix, was seventh-fastest, sandwiched by DAMS pair Sean Gelael and Dan Ticktum.
See below for a selection of images from the first morning of running during the test, which spans three days and also features FIA Formula 3 on-track action.
Sean Gelael, DAMS
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Marcus Armstrong, ART Grand Prix
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Jehan Daruvala, Carlin
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Marino Sato, Trident
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Giuliano Alesi, BWT HWA Racelab
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Guilherme Samaia, Campos Racing
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Guanyu Zhou, UNI-Virtuosi
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Nikita Mazepin, Hitech Grand Prix
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Pedro Piquet, Charouz Racing System
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Mick Schumacher, Prema Racing
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Felipe Drugovich, MP Motorsport
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Yuki Tsunoda, Carlin
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Jack Aitken, Campos Racing
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Sergey Sirotkin, ART Grand Prix
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Roy Nissany, Trident
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Artem Markelov, BWT HWA Racelab
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Dan Ticktum, DAMS
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Louis Deletraz, Charouz Racing System
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
About this article
| Series | FIA F2 |
| Event | Test 1 - Bahrain |
