Max Verstappen has topped the first day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit in a disperse field that’s focused on discovering their new machineries rather than going for fast, performance runs.
Morning Session
The morning stint saw Verstappen on top, kicking things off on a positive note for Red Bull Racing.
However, timings here should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, most teams today were in a “discovery mode” of their new machineries and not really looking for the best performance yet.
One that was happy today was Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver said it was “immediately clear” Sauber’s new car was much better than last year’s iteration.
“[The new car is] better than the C43, that’s immediately clear’ which is good, and which is something we had predicted, at least with the correlation to the simulator, which is what we’ve been predicting,” he told the media.
Not everything went smoothly for everyone as Alexander Albon suffered mechanical problems due to bad sensor data with 20 minutes to go. However, problems were fixed and teammate Logan Sargeant was able to drive in the afternoon, although the team suffered a slight delay.
Windy conditions made things difficult for some, especially Tsunoda, but it caused no further struggles.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:32.548 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.699 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.837 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +1.110 |
| 5 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB F1 Team | +1.588 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | +1.682 |
| 7 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Team | +1.883 |
| 8 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +2.039 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +2.129 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +3.144 |
Afternoon session
No changes at the lead as Max Verstappen once again topped the charts. The Red Bull Racing champion set a time of 1:31.344 (M) and completed 135 laps during the day, as he monopolized today’s sessions for the team.
Tomorrow it will be a different story, as teammate Sergio Pérez takes over.
The difference between the top and second-placed Lando Norris (+1.140s – M) made it clear Red Bull is looking strong heading into the new season, but again – those results must be taken with a grain of salt, they are not representative.
However, it is also unrealistic to expect monumental changes in such a short period of time. Haas knows it.
Williams’ Logan Sargeant had a scary moment as he went off track and into the gravel. His car did not suffer severe damages, but it was certainly a heart-stopping moment for the American and everyone back at his box.
Both Haas drivers finished the day last, with Kevin Magnussen over teammate Nico Hulkenberg. They both are managing their expectations with the new team principal and are aware that it will be a rough road for the American squad before they can be competitive.
“We changed the characteristics of the car. So, I think, we are in a better place with this car, but so is everyone else,” Magnussen said.
Pre-season testing resumes tomorrow at Bahrain from 8 AM CET.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Tire |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:31.34 | C3 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.140 | C3 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +1.240 | C3 |
| 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB F1 | +1.255 | C3 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.461 | C3 |
| 6 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.663 | C3 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +1.903 | C3 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +2.041 | C3 |
| 9 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +2.314 | C3 |
| 10 | Guanyu Zhou | Sauber | +2.527 | C3 |
| 11 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | +2.538 | C3 |
| 12 | George Russell | Mercedes | +2.765 | C3 |
| 13 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB F1 | +2.792 | C3 |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | +3.087 | C3 |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +3.243 | C3 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +3.333 | C2 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +4.348 | C3 |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | +4.562 | C3 |