On the first day of the 2025 Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, McLaren driver Lando Norris set the fastest time of the session. Mercedes' rising star George Russell secured second place, while reigning champion Max Verstappen finished in third.
The first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain began under cloudy and windy conditions. Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar was the first to hit the track, followed shortly by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who clocked a lap time of 1:33.344 on hard compound tires, placing him tenth on the leaderboard.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also took to the track, but his lap time on hard tires was 5.430 seconds slower than the fastest lap set by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in the morning session, placing him 13th. Meanwhile, Verstappen improved his time, coming within just 0.016 seconds of Antonelli’s morning benchmark, securing second place.
An hour into the session, the only driver yet to hit the track was McLaren’s Lando Norris. Meanwhile, George Russell showcased Mercedes’ strong pace by setting the fastest time on medium tires. With purple sectors in all three sections, his 1:31.082 lap surpassed his teammate Antonelli’s time, putting him in the lead. Soon after, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly improved and slotted into second place, 0.271 seconds behind Russell.
Approaching the end of the second hour, Lando Norris finally made his way onto the track. Shortly after, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc went below the 1:31 mark with a 1:30.878 lap, taking the top spot from Russell. Norris, on the other hand, posted a 1:31.251 lap, moving up to third.
By the session’s midpoint, the top 10 were: Leclerc, Russell, Gasly, Antonelli, Verstappen, Lawson, Albon, Tsunoda, and Sainz.
With less than two hours remaining in the session, an unexpected power outage in Bahrain led to a red flag, forcing all cars to return to the pits. Although power was restored after 30 minutes, some track lights remained off, preventing the session from resuming immediately.
After over an hour of delay, green lights were back on, and drivers returned to the track. To compensate for lost time, the session was extended by an hour.
Lando Norris delivered an impressive lap on medium tires, setting a session-best time of 1:30.430. Max Verstappen responded with a 1:30.674 lap, moving into second place behind Norris. However, moments later, George Russell edged out Verstappen with a 1:30.587 lap, reclaiming second place.
For the remainder of the session, teams focused on long stints rather than pushing for faster lap times. As a result, the order remained unchanged, with Norris finishing the day as the fastest driver, followed by Russell in second and Verstappen in third.
