Featured Image Credit: Kym Illman/Getty Images
Topics: Max Verstappen, George Russell, Motorsport, Formula 1
Ben McCrum
Topics: Max Verstappen, George Russell, Motorsport, Formula 1
The first lap times from the Formula One pre-season testing in Bahrain have emerged, and it's looking a lot better for some drivers than others.
Formula One is finally set to return in just three weeks, with the season opening race taking place at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne on March 8.
Ahead of the opening race, the majority of the gird took part in behind closed doors testing across five days at at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Following the Barcelona testing, all teams have arrived in Bahrain for the two annual televised testing weeks, the first of which started on Wednesday morning.
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And with the first testing laps now completed, we can start to speculate which teams could be on top when the lights go out in Melbourne next month.
As the 2026 season gets closer, many reports have suggested that Mercedes will be the dominant force on the grid thanks to their controversial engine design.
Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin are all rumoured to have built impressive cars for the new season, while Williams and newly-added teams Audi and Cadillac expected to struggle.
So far, it appears that Bahrain's morning testing sessions largely back up these reports, as Max Verstappen topped the morning session on the opening day.
The four-time world champion completed 65 laps in total on Wednesday morning, setting a fastest time of 1:35.433 putting him just under two-tenths of a second ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
George Russell, currently the favourite to win the Drivers Championship next season, set the third fastest time with a 1:36.109 lap.
For the first time of the pre-season all 11 teams made it onto the circuit at some point in the session, meaning Williams' got their first official running ahead of the 2026 season.
The session went largely without any issues, with just one red flag after Alpine's Franco Colapinto who came to a stop between Turns 7 and 8.
1 - Max Verstappen - Red Bull Racing - 1:35.433
2 - Oscar Piastri - McLaren - 1:35.602
3 - George Russell - Mercedes - 1:36.109
4 - Lewis Hamilton - Scuderia Ferrari - 1:36.433
5 - Esteban Ocon - Haas - 1:37.169
6 - Arvid Lindblad - Racing Bulls - 1:37.945
7 - Carlos Sainz - Williams - 1:38.221
8 - Gabriel Bortoleto - Audi - 1:38.871
9 - Valtteri Bottas - Cadillac - 1:39.150
10 - Lance Stroll - Aston Martin - 1:39.883
11 - Franco Colapinto - Alpine - 1:40.330