Formula 1 began three days of testing ahead of the new season on Thursday and Aston Martin almost immediately ran into a reliability issue.
The session at the Bahrain International Circuit had barely started when Felipe Drugovich ground to a halt on the track on his first run for Aston Martin. The session was red-flagged and Drugovich's car was taken away on a truck under a cover to prevent other teams from taking notes on its design.
Formula 2 Champion Drugovich is stepping in for regular Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll on Thursday after the Canadian sustained minor injuries while training on a bicycle in Spain.
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack revealed the stoppage was due to an electronics issue, and Drugovich was soon back out on track.
The real RB19 breaks cover
On the other hand, Red Bull finally revealed their real 2023 F1 challenger, the RB19, after using a launch car during their event held in New York.
The RB19 is naturally the most anticipated car as everyone would be keen to see how the team follow up on their 2022 domination especially in light of the cost cap penalties they incurred slashing their aero development time allocation by 10%.
Max Verstappen, gunning for a third F1 Championship in a row, was the first to take out the RB19 on track in Bahrain on Thursday and will be on duty for the whole day.
Verstappen will split Day 2 with Sergio Perez, the latter driving the full final day (Saturday).
The season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the same track next week.
(Additional reporting by GrandPrix247)
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