Lando Norris ended the opening day of pre-season testing on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit on high, with the McLaren driver setting the quickest time of the day throughout a day session that was prolonged by an additional hour following a purple flag.
After every crew ran one in every of their drivers within the morning session – with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli placing within the quickest time in addition to setting the joint-highest lap depend on 78 – it was the flip of the opposite half of the grid to get behind the wheel for the second session of Wednesday at 1500 native time.
LIVE COVERAGE: All the action from Day 1 of 2025 pre-season testing in Bahrain
Rookie Isack Hadjar was the primary to hit the observe for Racing Bulls – and he additionally grew to become the debut spinner of session, although thankfully there was no hurt finished for the Frenchman. Others quickly joined him on the circuit, together with reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.
Because the motion picked up – with the likes of Norris additionally heading out barely later – Russell dislodged crew mate Antonelli on the high of the timesheets earlier than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc went quicker, going high on a 1m 30.878s.
Shortly afterwards the purple flags had been thrown following an influence lower on the circuit, resulting in a lull within the motion. The solar had set in Bahrain when the session resumed with 50 minutes remaining, whereas gentle spots of rain had additionally began to fall amid more and more cool situations.
Amid a busy return to the observe, it was confirmed that the session can be prolonged by a further hour to make up for the time misplaced throughout the stoppage. And with operating now happening below the floodlights, the drivers had been capable of gauge situations consultant of people who can be in play when the Bahrain Grand Prix returns in April.
READ MORE: Antonelli tops first morning of pre-season testing in Bahrain
As extra laps went on the board and the occasions got here down – with groups embarking on totally different run plans – it was Norris who had set the quickest time by the tip of the session, the McLaren man placing in a lap of 1m 30.430s to go 0.157s faster than Russell in second.
Verstappen adopted in third, forward of Leclerc in fourth place and Carlos Sainz in fifth as he prepares for his debut season with the Williams crew. Pierre Gasly, in the meantime, put within the sixth quickest time for Alpine, with the occasions set by Antonelli, Liam Lawson, Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda throughout the morning session rounding out the highest 10.
Rookie Isack Hadjar was one of many new faces in motion throughout Day 1 of pre-season testing in Bahrain
Hadjar took P11, with fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto simply behind in P12 for Kick Sauber. Morning runners Lewis Hamilton, Jack Doohan and Fernando Alonso lined P13 to P15 respectively, whereas Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was P16, the Canadian recording the least mileage of the day on 41 laps.
Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg held seventeenth and 18th with their morning lap occasions, with the Haas pair of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman ending the day in nineteenth and twentieth, with Haas operating a special programme to their rivals.
GALLERY: Cars hit the track for the first day of 2025 pre-season testing in Bahrain
The groups and drivers will return to motion for Day 2 of pre-season testing on Thursday, with the morning session set to get underway at 1000 native time.
