Following a first pre-season of testing which featured a selection of problems, Virgin Racing's difficult times continued in Bahrain on Friday as mileage was limited for Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi following a late parts delivery to the Sakhir circuit on Thursday night.

Jaime Alguersuari was not particularly impressed by the full Sakhir circuit configuration on Friday as practice began at the start of his first full season of Formula 1. On a day which featured just a single yellow flag period, the Spaniard provided the crowd with the most spectacular moment.

Virgin looks back at today's free practice sessions in which its drivers finished 21st and 22nd overall

Fernando Alonso was in a brand-new environment for a Formula 1 practice session on Friday as he started his career with the Ferrari team. The former double World Champion finished the day slowest of the two Ferrari cars on the timesheets after discovering a number of unexpected added challenges on the Sakhir circuit.

Vitaly Petrov was content with his performance as he took part in his first pair of Formula 1 practice sessions in Bahrain on Friday. The Renault driver from Vyborg makes history this weekend by becoming the first Russian driver to compete in an F1 race.

Ferrari looks back at today's free practice sessions in which its drivers finished 7th and 10th overall

Bridgestone's super soft tyre took Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg to the fastest time as the 2010 Formula One season got underway in searing temperatures at the new configuration Sakhir in Bahrain.

Mark Webber was annoyed that his Red Bull Racing car remained rooted to the pit lane for the majority of second practice in Bahrain on Friday as the Australian became victim of a drive shaft problem. With team-mate Sebastian Vettel having suffered grip worries, it was a tough start to the campaign for one of the pre-season favourite teams.

Mike Gascoyne was highly pleased with the overall performance of the Lotus team on Friday as Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen took to the track for practice in Sakhir. Running new elements on the rear wings, the 1Malaysia team continues to focus on racking up as much mileage as possible prior to a major car upgrade for Round 5 in Spain.

World Champion Jenson Button will be taking particular care with the rear tyres of his McLaren as the weekend begins after Friday's first day of practice in Bahrain. With Formula 1 now using the full length circuit at Sakhir, the setup for the entire track varies in order to accommodate for the high downforce levels required for the new tighter corners.

Renault looks back at today's free practice sessions in which its drivers finished 9th and 11th overall

Sauber looks back at today's free practice sessions in which its drivers finished 13th and 15th overall