WORLD CHAMPION LANDO NORRIS SEALS DAY 1 OF FORMULA 1 TESTS FASTEST

Formula 1 has started one of the most significant pre-seasons of recent decades. We have six crucial days of testing in Bahrain, February 11, 12 and 13, and again on the 18th, 19th and 20th, sessions that will begin to shape the direction of the new campaign and offer the first real clues about the competitive order.

At 10:00 am local time, pre-season testing began. Verstappen wasted no time and was first out of the garage, immediately followed by Bortoleto and Lindblad. The 2026 machinery rolled onto the Sakhir circuit under clear skies, with the day’s work focused less on outright speed and more on systems checks, reliability and gathering data.

The cars initially got on track with aero-rakes and flow-vis paint to test the airflow, in a dirty Bahraini track as Lewis Hamilton claimed. Verstappen recorded a 1:44.012 after four laps, Lindblad followed with a 1:50.902. Bortoleto, Piastri and Bottas also took to the track.

Lance Stroll completed an installation lap in the AMR26 before returning to the garage for system checks. Ferrari ran Hamilton with distinctive sensors fitted to the car, collecting aerodynamic data.

Carlos Sainz joined the action, completing his first official pre-season laps with Williams after missing the Barcelona tests. Ten of the eleven drivers scheduled for the morning session had appeared on track within the first half hour, only Colapinto was yet to run.

Colapinto eventually emerged, setting a 1:45.598 to go provisionally sixth. At 11:00, Piastri set the fastest time, though early-session times were firmly taken in context, with teams still in learning mode.

Through the first hour, Lindblad led the lap count with 22, while Stroll had completed the fewest. Red Bull Powertrains’ reliability drew attention as the new engine ran without issue and as Toto Wolff stated, “it could use more energy than any other power unit for more consecutive laps”. Audi’s car also caught the eye, they have made big changes to the R26 sidepods between the Barcelona shakedown and the Bahrain test.

The new design has smaller and tighter air intakes, which sends more air towards the floor, helping to reduce drag and increase downforce. Tight air intake also means that the air used to cool the engine and the air directed to the rear of the car will be separated, something necessary for these cars.

A minor yellow flag appeared after 90 minutes with Hamilton going slightly wide at Turn 1, but without consequence. Moments later, the first red flag of Bahrain’s pre-season test came out: Colapinto had stopped on track after 17 laps due to technical issues. The interruption was brief, and running resumed ten minutes later. Colapinto returned to the circuit without issues.

Teams cycled through multiple tyre compounds, focusing on reliability and data collection. The priority was mileage over times.

Having missed Barcelona, Sainz used Bahrain to regain lost ground, reaching 69 laps and helping Williams build crucial data. When the morning session concluded at 14:00, Sainz had completed 77 laps, the most of any driver, followed by Lindblad. Verstappen was the fastest of the morning. Stroll, with the new Aston Martin project, completed only 33 laps.

The afternoon session began at 15:00 local time, and after a quiet opening, Verstappen and Ocon were first out. The reigning world champion Lando Norris took over from Piastri in the McLaren MCL40 for the evening session. Pérez also made his appearence with Cadillac after Bottas’ running in the morning.

When Stroll tried to return to the track on the evening, he returned to the garage after only three laps and headed to the team hospitality area, as overheating problems were confirmed.

Ninety minutes into the evening session, the second red flag of the day appeared when Hülkenberg’s Audi stopped in Sector 2. Running resumed ten minutes later. In the meantime, Racing Bulls confirmed it would stop their run with two hours to go. Lindblad had completed 75 laps with a best time of 1:37.945. Liam Lawson would take over the following day.

As track conditions improved, lap times started to improve. When the Formula 1 official broadcast started, Verstappen lowered his benchmark to 1:34.830, surpassing 100 laps. Leclerc moved into third with a 1:35.959. Norris improved to second, seven tenths behind Verstappen. However, with 15 minutes to the end, Norris surged to the top with a 1:34.669, just 0.161s faster than Verstappen.

At 19:00 Local time, the chequered flag ended the first day of testing in Sakhir. Norris finished as the fastest driver of the day. Verstappen, with 134 laps, was the most productive.

Results of day 1:

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