Daniel Ricciardo was a surprise in the first practice of the new Formula One season as he topped a windy opening session for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Thursday. The Visa RB driver (formerly Alpha Tauri) clocked the fastest time of 1 minute 32.869 seconds ahead of the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Visa RB’s second car with Yuki Tsunoda was fourth. Champion Max Verstappen, who is aiming for a fourth consecutive and overall drivers’ title, was only sixth. The Red Bull driver complained of “very inconsistent downshifts,” while many drivers struggled with the windy conditions. Mer…