F1 Bahrain 2026 pre-season check: Norris edges Verstappen on day one

McLaren’s Lando Norris opened the e book on the primary day of official Method 1 pre-season testing by going 0.129s quicker than Max Verstappen, though the Purple Bull driver accomplished extra laps than McLaren managed all day.

Oscar Piastri set a finest time of 1m35.602s over 54 laps within the morning, earlier than Norris took over the MCL40 and set the quickest time of the day – 1m34.669s – within the afternoon whereas including 58 laps to the automobile’s whole. That’s yet another than an entire race distance on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit.

As was anticipated given the relative immaturity of the vehicles, the ‘inexperienced’ monitor floor, gusting winds, and the truth that many drivers have been circulating laden with aerodynamic measuring tools, early laptimes supplied little to excite. As some drivers started to push, there have been a number of off-track excursions at Flip 10, largely attributed to the tailwind but in addition an element of various approaches to braking and vitality harvesting.

Verstappen was quickest of all within the morning session, clocking 1m35.433s – significantly off Piastri’s 1m29.841 pole time from the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. However what caught the attention – past Max being the primary driver of the day to succeed in the 100-lap mark – was the Purple Bull’s obvious capacity to deploy extra electrical energy than rivals over consecutive laps.

Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing

Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Method 1 through Getty Photos

In the end, Verstappen reached the 136-lap mark, and his quickest of 1m34.798s – set throughout a seven-lap stint on delicate tyres late within the afternoon – fell simply 0.129s wanting Norris.

Charles Leclerc’s finest time for Ferrari was 0.521s off Norris however he turned 80 laps in what was a productive day for the Scuderia. Staff-mate Lewis Hamilton turned the day’s seventh-fastest lap throughout the morning session whereas working 52 laps.

Esteban Ocon was the second busiest driver of the day, placing 115 laps on the Haas VF-26 and setting the fourth quickest time.

Mercedes, within the midst of a rising imbroglio over its energy unit, flew beneath the radar as George Russell accomplished 56 laps within the morning with a quickest time that was 1.439s in arrears of Norris. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, working predominantly on the hard-compound Pirellis, was 2.960s off over 30 laps.

There was disappointment for Aston Martin as its AMR26 managed simply 36 laps in whole. Lance Stroll ran 33 excursions within the morning session however parked up after simply three extra following the lunch break, when the group detected what it described as “an information anomaly” from the brand new Honda energy unit. Stroll’s quickest lap of the day was a 1m39.883s.

Williams mitigated the frustration of lacking the Barcelona shakedown completely by finishing a formidable variety of laps throughout the day. Carlos Sainz ran 77 laps in whole throughout the morning, cumulatively greater than a race distance. Staff-mate Alex Albon did 68 within the afternoon.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Staff

Photograph by: Alastair Staley / LAT Photos through Getty Photos

Of the groups that had chosen to introduce growth steps already – or reveal ideas that they had beforehand wished to hide, Audi was essentially the most conspicuous. Its R26 emerged from the garages with a wholly completely different sidepod therapy than that used on the present automobile at launch – or the one which ran within the Barcelona ‘shakedown week’.

The automobile ran reliably within the morning as Gabriel Bortoleto put 49 laps on it, however then broke down with Nico Hulkenberg on the wheel simply an hour into the afternoon session, bringing out the pink flag. Hulkenberg returned to the monitor and finally ran 73 laps. The one different stoppage of the day was induced by Franco Colapinto’s Alpine stuttering to a halt on monitor within the morning after turning 17 laps, however the difficulty was finally mounted and Colapinto introduced its whole to twenty-eight laps earlier than handing over to Pierre Gasly.

Cadillac additionally hit the monitor for the primary time in its definitive two-tone livery as revealed throughout the Tremendous Bowl half-time present on the weekend. Valtteri Bottas accomplished 49 laps within the morning earlier than handing over to Sergio Perez, who did 58.

Arvid Lindblad, the one F1 rookie this season, accomplished 75 laps within the Racing Bulls VCARB 03 throughout the morning earlier than it succumbed to a fluid leak.

F1 Bahrain pre-season check Day 1 outcomes

Driver

Staff/Automotive/Engine

Lap time

Complete Laps

Lando Norris

McLaren MCL40 / Mercedes F1 M17 E Efficiency

1m34.669s

Max Verstappen

Purple Bull RB22 / Purple Bull Ford DM01

1m34.798s

136

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari SF-26 / Ferrari 067/6

1m35.190s

Esteban Ocon

Haas VF-26 / Ferrari 067/6

1m35.578s

115

Oscar Piastri

McLaren MCL40 / Mercedes F1 M17 E Efficiency

1m35.602s

George Russell

Mercedes F1 W17 E Efficiency / Mercedes F1 M17 E Efficiency

1m36.108s

Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari SF-26 / Ferrari 067/6

1m36.433s

Pierre Gasly

Alpine A526 / Mercedes F1 M17 E Efficiency

1m36.765s

Nico Hulkenberg

Audi R26 / Audi AFR 26 Hybrid

1m36.861s

Alexander Albon

Williams FW48 / Mercedes F1 M17 E Efficiency

1m37.437s

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes F1 W17 E Efficiency / Mercedes F1 M17 E Efficiency

1m37.629s

Arvid Lindblad

Racing Bulls VCARB 03 / Purple Bull Ford DM01

1m37.945s

Carlos Sainz

Williams FW48 / Mercedes F1 M17 E Efficiency

1m38.221s

Sergio Perez

Cadillac ? / Ferrari 067/6

1m38.828s

Gabriel Bortoleto

Audi R26 / Audi AFR 26 Hybrid

1m38.871s

Valtteri Bottas

Cadillac ? / Ferrari 067/6

1m39.150s

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin AMR26 / Honda RA626H

1m39.883s

Franco Colapinto

Alpine A526 / Mercedes F1 M17 E Efficiency

1m40.330s

Photographs from Bahrain Pre-Season Testing

George Russell, Mercedes