PRACTICE: Luke Browning leads the field in Sakhir

Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Luke Browning picked up from where he left off in pre-season testing, ending Practice as the fastest driver of all ahead of Qualifying on a 1:47.828.

The Briton traded the top spot in the final minutes with Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli, who ended up second just 0.055s off the top time.

Dino Beganovic finished third for PREMA Racing after teammate Gabriele Minì brought out the Red Flags mid-way through the session with a spin into the gravel.

Installation laps opened Practice, but it was a long wait until the teams and drivers ventured out of the pitlane for serious running. Joseph Loake of Rodin Motorsport led the way with 15 minutes left of the session on a 1:50.112.

That was until Fornaroli came through to secure the top spot on a 1:48.599, just as a Virtual Safety Car was deployed.

Minì suffered a spin at Turn 4, beaching his PREMA #2 car in the gravel trap. The VSC quickly became a Red Flag as the session was temporarily halted for marshals to recover his car.

Practice resumed with six minutes left of run time and everyone was eager to make the most of it, immediately filing back out onto the circuit.

Browning and Fornaroli exchanged fastest efforts until the British driver crossed the line at the chequered flag with a 1:47.828 to end the session quickest of all. Beganovic was another late improver, moving up to third late on.

Qualifying is scheduled for 16:00 local time at the Bahrain International Circuit.