The Formula 1 world is buzzing with excitement as the Bahrain pre-season test kicks off, but here’s the kicker: Max Verstappen has already set the pace, leaving fans and rivals alike wondering what’s in store for the upcoming season. And this is the part most people miss: with new technical regulations in play, lap times are significantly slower than last year’s records, yet the competition remains as fierce as ever. Let’s dive into the details of this thrilling morning session.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dominated the opening morning of the Bahrain pre-season test, clocking the fastest time of 1m35.433s on soft tires. This session, held from 10am to 2pm local time, saw Verstappen edge out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by a mere 0.169 seconds. Piastri, driving the newly liveried MCL40, secured second place with a time of 1m35.602s. But here’s where it gets controversial: despite Verstappen’s impressive performance, his time was a full five-and-a-half seconds slower than Piastri’s 2025 pole position lap of 1m29.841s. Could this be a sign of the challenges teams face under the new regulations, or is there more to the story? We’ll let you decide.
Mercedes’ George Russell followed in third with a 1m36.108s, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton trailed in fourth, exactly one second behind Verstappen. Hamilton’s session wasn’t without drama, as he experienced a harmless spin at Turn 1. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon rounded out the top five for Haas, posting a 1m37.169s. It’s worth noting that teams were focused on gathering data rather than pushing for performance, which explains the larger-than-usual gaps between lap times.
And this is the part most people miss: Arvid Lindblad and Carlos Sainz were the busiest drivers on track, completing 75 and 77 laps for Racing Bulls and Williams, respectively. This is particularly encouraging for Williams, which had to skip the Barcelona shakedown due to production delays. Gabriel Bortoleto took eighth place in Audi’s revamped R26, featuring radical new sidepods that have already sparked curiosity among fans. You can explore more about this innovative design here.
Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll finished ninth and tenth, respectively, with both teams recently unveiling their new liveries. Alpine’s A526, driven by Franco Colapinto, brought out the only red flag of the day after stopping on track. Colapinto ended the session in 11th place with a time of 1m40.330s and the fewest laps completed—just 28.
Bold question for you: With lap times significantly slower under the new regulations, do you think this will level the playing field or create even more unpredictability in the upcoming season? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Here’s a quick recap of the morning results:
| P | Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Gap |
|---|----------------|------------|------|-----------|----------|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 65 | 1m35.433s | |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 54 | 1m35.602s | +0.169s |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 56 | 1m36.108s | +0.675s |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 52 | 1m36.433s | +1.000s |
| 5 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 64 | 1m37.169s | +1.736s |
| 6 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls| 75 | 1m37.945s | +2.512s |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 77 | 1m38.221s | +2.788s |
| 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto| Audi | 49 | 1m38.871s | +3.438s |
| 9 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 49 | 1m39.150s | +3.717s |
| 10| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin| 33 | 1m39.883s | +4.450s |
| 11| Franco Colapinto| Alpine | 28 | 1m40.330s | +4.897s |
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