At around 11am local time, with track temperatures over 40°C, Haas' Ocon rolled out onto the Bahrain International Circuit sporting green-walled and grooved intermediates, and slid around Sakhir for a very brief, but entertaining, stint.

Ocon said the team 'required' him to do some "different tests" on the wet-weather tyres, but couldn't resist joking about the unusual tyre choice.

When asked about the choice to go onto inters, Ocon told media, including GPblog: "Ah, a bit of a drifting session. That was nice!

In reality, what Haas and Ocon were doing was a test of F1 2026's 'partial' active aero, which will be deployed during wet-weather or low-grip events.

In 2026, at specifically designated straight-line zones, the F1 cars will now drop both their front and rear wings to reduce drag and increase top speeds in what is being called Straight Mode. However, in wet or low-grip conditions, only the front wing will flap down, while the rear wing remains closed to provide much needed downforce.

While it certainly wasn't raining in Bahrain, the intermediate tyres on a blistering Sakhir circuit would have provided Haas and the FIA with useful data on how the partial active aero behaves.

Ocon's drifting session did not last long, of course, but the Frenchman completed 82 laps on Friday, while teammate Ollie Bearman achieved 88 in the afternoon session as Haas brought to a close a pre-season which has many people believing they're towards the top of the midfield.

Ocon added: "Yeah, I think it's been a very good test for us.

Elsewhere, Ocon's teammate Bearman had an amusing reaction to Ferrari's incredible 'upside-down' rear wing, as the young Haas driver admitted he first thought there was something seriously wrong with the SF-26.