Sergio Perez: "I'm optimistic about our chances this weekend after a positive day on track. I think we can aim for a strong result, but today has really shown just how close qualifying is going to be. The margins will be tight and that means putting everything together over a single lap is going to be crucial. It was a challenge taking on the new layout today: the middle sector is particularly tricky because the kerbs are quite aggressive. It's tempting to use them but it's so easy to make a mistake if you misjudge it. I think we'll see plenty of lap times deleted and see some errors over the weekend, so it's important to minimise the chances of making a mistake. The whole lap is a challenge too, even though there's not many corners overall - so getting the middle sector right is very important."

Lance Stroll: "It was really close out there today with small gaps between all the cars. I think we learned a lot about how the weekend will develop and how the race will play out. Turn 8 is going to be a big factor tomorrow and we'll probably see a lot of lap times deleted, so the key will be staying close to the limit. We managed the challenge of having a lot of traffic on such a short lap well today, but I expect that's going to be even more tricky in qualifying when everyone is searching for free air. Qualifying will be very important tomorrow because it was more difficult to overtake than we expected. It could end up being a track position race. All things considered, it was a good day's work and I'm confident in the car for Saturday and Sunday."

Check out our Friday gallery from Bahrain, here.