Lando Norris topped the first day of F1 pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit after the afternoon session was extended an hour.
Due to a power outage, almost an hour of running was lost in the second four-hour segment to the opening day of the three-day test.
Therefore the FIA, F1 and its teams all agreed to run further into the evening. The red flag was removed with 50 minutes to go, and a little over 20 minutes later the news came through.
George Russell set the second quickest time, whilst Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was third-fastest overall. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top five.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli set the best time in the morning, with Liam Lawson making it a rookie one-two atop the timing boards. They ended seventh and eighth, respectively.
There was also the threat of adverse weather, with sparse rain drops falling towards the end of the day's running. A greater chance of rainfall is expected tomorrow, and only a couple of teams have brought appropriate tyres to Bahrain.
Check out the full results from the first day of F1 pre-season testing below.
Result Day 1 - Wintertest Bahrain
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results are being loaded... | ||||
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they discuss the FIA defending Max Verstappen and Christian Horner after the pair were booed at F1 75. Criticism of the FIA is also touched on, whilst the trio also looked ahead to pre-season testing.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..













Join the conversation!