The first Bahrain pre-season F1 test is done, and, although being fastest is not important at this stage, it never hurts to be so.
As such, it is Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes who takes the honours of the first test, having overcome engine woes on the second day, restricting him to just three laps.
Being placed in the car for the final four-hour block on Day 3, Antonelli focused on low fuel runs, and initially bested team-mate George Russell by 0.018s, before extending that to 0.249s with a time of 1:33.669, exactly one second faster than world champion Lando Norris.
Lewis Hamilton, who topped the shakedown in Barcelona for Ferrari was third quickest overall, with Max Verstappen only seventh.
At the bottom, a 1:38.653 from Sergio Perez of Cadillac was the slowest lap of the test.
Check out the complete fastest laps below!
Bahrain 1st Test Complete Fastest Laps
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Lap time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:33.669 |
| 2nd | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:33.918 |
| 3rd | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:34.209 |
| 4th | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:34.273 |
| 5th | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:34.549 |
| 6th | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:34.669 |
| 7th | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:34.798 |
| 8th | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:35.394 |
| 9th | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:35.578 |
| 10th | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:35.610 |
| 11th | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:35.806 |
| 12th | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:36.291 |
| 13th | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:36.670 |
| 14th | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:36.723 |
| 15th | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:36.793 |
| 16th | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:36.808 |
| 17th | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:36.824 |
| 18th | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:37.186 |
| 19th | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:37.470 |
| 20th | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:38.165 |
| 21st | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:38.248 |
| 22nd | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:38.653 |
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