Featured Image Credit: Joe Portlock/Getty Images
Topics: Formula 1, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Motorsport
Ben McCrum
Topics: Formula 1, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Motorsport
The official lap times from every driver involved in the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain have been released.
Following five days of behind closed doors testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Formula One grid arrived in Bahrain for the first televised practice seasons ahead of the 2026 season.
Unlike Barcelona, all 11 teams are present at the Bahrain International Circuit, meaning for the first time fans will get a glimpse into which teams and drivers are the ones to watch this year.
In the morning session, four-time champion Max Verstappen appeared to be on top, reflecting reports that Red Bull and Mercedes will be the strongest teams in 2026.
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But now that the full day of testing has been completed, there is a completely different set of top times from the session, and it's definitely a surprise.
Heading into the 2026 season, it has widely been reported that Mercedes are the favourites as they've identified a controversial loophole in the new regulations.
Behind them, Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari are expected to also produce strong cars, while the likes of Williams and new 11th team Cadillac will likely struggle.
However, day one of testing appears to show that McLaren are a lot faster than many would have expected, as reigning champion Lando Norris set the fastest time with a 1:34.66 lap.
Verstappen is just 0.151 behind Norris after he improved on his impressive morning outing with a lap time of 1:34.798.
Ferrari star Charles Leclerc set the third best time with a 1:35.190, while teammate Lewis Hamilton's fastest lap was 1:36.433, putting him seventh.
However, perhaps the biggest surprise from day one of testing is that Cadillac has managed to surpass expectations that they would be the worst team on the grid.
Both Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas completed laps on the first day of testing in Bahrain and finished 14th and 16th of the 18 drivers on track.
