Sakhir, Bahrain – Lando Norris led the way on the first day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, which experienced a brief delay due to a circuit-wide power cut. The delay caused a pause in the session with all electrical systems, including the floodlights, garages, and media center, shutting down. Despite the setback, Norris managed to set the fastest time of the day with a lap time of 1m30.430s, holding off challenges from drivers like Max Verstappen and George Russell.
The morning session saw a variety of drivers take turns at the top of the leaderboard, including Alex Albon, Lewis Hamilton, Liam Lawson, and Fernando Alonso. Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the fastest driver heading into the lunch break, setting a time of 1m31.428s. However, Russell later surpassed Antonelli’s time in the afternoon session, clocking in at 1m30.587s. The session was then briefly halted due to a red flag, before Norris claimed the top spot with a time of 1m30.430s on the C3 tyre.
In terms of lap count, Norris completed 52 laps, with Russell doing 70 laps in total. The top five drivers at the end of the day were Norris, Russell, Verstappen, Leclerc, and Sainz, all within 0.6s of each other. Esteban Ocon of Haas completed the most laps of the day with 88, aiming for longer runs during the session.
Overall, the first day of testing in Bahrain provided a glimpse of the competitiveness among the teams and drivers ahead of the upcoming Formula 1 season. The standings are expected to shift as testing continues in the days leading up to the start of the championship.