Verstappen Leads F1 Testing – Bahrain Day 1

The Formula 1 field hit the track for the start of winter testing in Bahrain following initial running at the Barcelona shakedown. Teams used the time to operate through issues and manufacture parts, with several cars sporting upgrades as drivers logged significant mileage during Wednesday’s opening session.

While Oscar Piastri of McLaren initially set the pace, Max Verstappen ultimately led the session for much of the morning. The Red Bull champion consistently place in laps, easily exceeding 57 laps – the equivalent of a Bahrain Grand Prix distance – in his RB22.

The Dutch driver primarily utilized the medium compound tires, setting a time of 1:35.433 on a fresh set shortly before 10:00 AM local time, which proved to be the fastest lap of the first four hours.

Piastri was the closest challenger to Verstappen, completing 54 laps and posting a time of 1:35.602 after 11:00 AM, putting him within two-tenths of a second of the leader.

George Russell finished third, though Mercedes didn’t showcase blistering pace or high lap counts. The British driver came within 0.675 seconds of Verstappen’s best time.

Lewis Hamilton secured the fourth-fastest time. The Ferrari driver moved up the leaderboard after 11:00 AM, following a nearly 50-minute break for reasons currently unknown. Earlier in the session, Hamilton had a spin in the first corner, completing 52 laps overall.

Lewis Hamilton (Photo: XPB)

Haas, Racing Bulls, and Williams were all actively logging laps throughout the morning. Rookie Arvid Lindblad was quick to get on track, completing early timed laps and becoming the first driver to begin longer race simulations. The Red Bull-Ford power unit appears to be performing reliably.

Only Carlos Sainz completed more laps than the British talent. Williams is working to produce up ground after missing the Barcelona test, and reported confidence in the reliability of their Mercedes engine after a successful filming day on Tuesday.

Carlos Sainz (Photo: XPB)

The teams at the back of the field faced more challenges. Franco Colapinto had the most difficult morning, completing only 28 laps. Alpine was leisurely to start, exiting the garage nearly 45 minutes after the session began, before the driver stopped trackside in the seventh corner due to a technical issue. This was the only red flag of the first four hours, lasting just a few minutes. Colapinto returned to the track after a 50-minute delay, but didn’t complete many more laps.

Aston Martin as well had a quiet morning. Lance Stroll completed just 33 laps in the green AMR26, finishing 10th overall with a gap of 4.5 seconds.

Audi also spent extended periods in the garage. They unveiled a striking new car with extravagant sidepods, described by Mattia Binotto as a “B-spec” version.

Bortoleto is eighth in the standings at the break, three-tenths ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who completed 49 laps in the Cadillac, now sporting its final livery.

Testing resumes at 1:00 PM local time. Seven teams will have driver changes after the lunch break, with the checkered flag set to fall at 5:00 PM.

Standings after the first half of Day 1 of the Bahrain Test: