The first official tests of the Formula 1 season are taking place in Bahrain this week, and Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas encountered significant trouble during his Friday session. Bottas, who has returned to F1 as a racing driver, managed to complete just eight laps before his car suffered a mechanical failure that forced him to exit the track early. Despite his attempts, he finished at the bottom of the leaderboard, over six seconds behind the fastest time set by Mercedes' George Russell.

In the early hours of the third testing day, George Russell posted the fastest time at 1:33.918, while the legendary Lewis Hamilton followed closely in second place, just 0.291 seconds behind. Bottas had set the eighth-best time in Thursday's practice but was unable to capitalize on that momentum as technical problems plagued his vehicle during the crucial testing hours. This early setback raises concerns about his reliability and competitiveness ahead of the new season.

The new F1 cars have elicited mixed reactions from drivers, with four-time world champion Max Verstappen expressing his dissatisfaction. He compared the experience of driving the new cars to that of competing in Formula E, suggesting that the driving experience feels constrained. As the season approaches, the mechanical reliability and response of the cars will play a significant role in shaping the outcomes for drivers like Bottas, who aim to establish themselves solidly in the competitive field of Formula 1.