Alonso, who is making his debut this season with Aston Martin after leaving Alpine, thus seems to confirm the high expectations generated in the preseason by his team.
In pre-season testing last week, also at Sakhir, Alonso had already shown the potential of his new car, regularly occupying the top positions on the time sheets.
Despite this and with the experience of so many years in the elite, he preferred this Friday to be cautious.
“We are going to wait, there are many things that we want to do or change. We must take our time,” said Alonso, who in the first test session, in the morning, had been second only then surpassed by Sergio Pérez.
His Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll was sixth. Until Thursday, the Canadian driver was not sure if he could participate in this Grand Prix due to a broken wrist at the end of February.
Ahead of him, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc was fourth of the day with his Ferrari, beating a surprising Nico Hulkenberg, fifth with his Haas, with whom he returns to the premier class of motorsport.
“The sensations are better than during rehearsals“Leclerc said.
Worse was the day for his teammate from the ‘Scuderia’, the Spanish Carlos Sainz Jr, who was just fourteenth.
“The car doesn’t respond exactly as I expected,” he explained.