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Laurence Edmondson
McLaren’s Lando Norris set the fastest time on the opening day of Formula 1’s preseason test in Bahrain, which was extended by an hour due to a power cut at the circuit in the afternoon session.
All 20 drivers took part in the first of three days of preseason testing in Bahrain, giving each an opportunity to complete meaningful mileage in their 2025 car.
Lap times on the opening day of testing are rarely a reliable gauge of outright performance, but for what it’s worth Norris set a 1:30.430 around the Bahrain International Circuit and was 0.147 seconds clear of Mercedes’ George Russell in second place.
A failure at an external substation saw the circuit’s floodlights, which allow testing to continue after dark in Bahrain, extinguished just before the sunset. Power to the garages was also cut, meaning work on the cars had to continue under handheld flashlights.
The FIA had no choice but to red flag the test while power was restored, with lights in the garage returning after 30 minutes and the floodlights slowly flickering back on over the next 40 minutes. An extra hour was added to the afternoon session to make up for the lost time.
The fastest three lap times — set by Norris, Russell and reigning champion Max Verstappen — were all set after the power cut, despite occasional drops of rain around the desert circuit once the sun had set.
Testing in Bahrain often offers the best circuit conditions under the lights, although unseasonably low temperatures meant the ambient temperature dropped below 15C by the final half hour of the session.
The focus in the morning session had largely been on Lewis Hamilton, who made his official testing debut with Ferrari on Wednesday.
The seven-time champion has already driven various specifications of the team’s past F1 cars in preparation for his Ferrari debut, but Wednesday morning represented his first opportunity to complete meaningful mileage in the new car.
After completing 70 laps, Hamilton held the fifth fastest time at the lunch break, which had dropped to the 12th fastest by the end of the day. Teammate Charles Leclerc took over in the afternoon and set the fourth fastest time with a further 71 laps at the wheel.
Red Bull’s Liam Lawson and Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar were the only two drivers to spin over the course of the day.
Lawson lost control of the rear of his Red Bull in Turn 2 but managed to stop the car just short of the gravel at Turn 3. Aside from ruining a set of tyres, no damage was done to the Red Bull and Lawson went on to set the second fastest time before lunch, 0.1 seconds off the best time of the morning set by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Racing Bull’s rookie Hadjar spun on the exit of Turn 4 but neatly corrected the slide after spinning through 360 degrees. He wasn’t alone in running wide at Turn 4, with Norris clipping the gravel trap on the exit of the corner later in the day, albeit without spinning.
Testing will continue in Bahrain for the next two days before teams travel to Australia for the first race of the season on March 16.
Day 1 – lap times, lap counts and tyre compound
Lando Norris – McLaren – 1:30.430 – 52 laps – C3
George Russell – Mercedes – 1:30.587 – 70 laps – C3
Max Verstappen – Red Bull – 1:30.674 – 74 laps – C3
Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – 1:30.878 – 71 laps – C3
Carlos Sainz – Williams – 1:30.955 – 68 laps – C3
Pierre Gasly – Alpine – 1:31.353 – 72 laps – C3
Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes – 1:31.428 – 78 laps – C3
Liam Lawson – Red Bull – 1:31.560 – 58 laps – C3
Alex Albon – Williams – 1:31.573 – 63 laps – C3
Tsunoda – Racing Bulls – 1:31.610 – 79 laps – C3
Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls – 1:31.631 – 76 laps – C3
Garbiel Bortoleto – Sauber – 1:31.690 – 59 laps – C2
Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari – 1:31.834 – 70 laps – C3
Jack Doohan – Alpine – 1:31.841 – 68 laps – C3
Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – 1:31.874 – 46 laps – C3
Lance Stroll – Aston Martin – 1:31.949 – 41 laps – C3
Oscar Piastri – McLaren – 1:32.084 – 67 laps – C3
Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber – 1:32.169 – 55 laps – C3
Esteban Ocon – Haas – 1:33.600 – 88 laps – C3
Oliver Bearman – Haas – 1:35.522 – 72 laps – C2