Verstappen tops Bahrain morning session as red flag halts running

The first testing session at the Bahrain International Circuit got off to an exciting start, with Max Verstappen leading the times early on. The Dutch driver, running on hard compound tyres, set a lap of 1:44.12, over six seconds faster than Racing Bulls’ rookie, Arvid Lindblad.

The Dutch driver’s advantage didn’t last long. As Mercedes driver, George Russell, running on the hard compound tyres, crossed the line to post a 1:41.740, nearly three seconds quicker than the Red Bull driver’s benchmark.

However, even that time was short-lived, as Esteban Ocon in the Haas swiftly lowered the pace further, dipping into the 1:30s.

As the top of the timing sheets continued to shuffle, the Williams F1 team made its long-awaited debut with the FW48, having missed the initial shakedown in Barcelona. Russell briefly reclaimed the top spot, but his lead was again short-lived.

Oscar Piastri, on medium tyres, and Lindblad, on hards, eventually took the session lead midway through. Lindblad managed to maintain his advantage with less than half the session remaining.

The Alpine team was the last of the 11 teams to get mileage on the track, rounding out the grid’s early running. The session saw a brief yellow flag when Lewis Hamilton spun his Mercedes, losing the rear of his SF-26 and forcing a pit stop, though the car suffered no damage.

Later, a red flag was deployed after Franco Colapinto came to a halt on track, having completed just 17 laps. Once the incident was cleared, running resumed, and Ocon quickly returned to the top, this time on soft tyres, surpassing Lindblad’s time.

However, Verstappen responded in style, reclaiming the lead with a 1:35.433 on medium tyres. The Dutchman held onto the top spot heading into the final hour, with Piastri and Russell trailing him and splitting the gap to Ocon.

In terms of mileage, Racing Bulls and Williams proved the most active, with Arvid Lindblad and Carlos Sainz clocking up 75 and 77 laps respectively.

With the lunch break over, the opening day of testing will resume with the afternoon session, bringing a further four hours of running. Night-time conditions will take centre stage, offering weather conditions that are more representative and closer to what teams will face later in the season on race weekend.