MOTORSPORT – MCLAREN kick started their Formula 1 constructors’ title defence yesterday with Lando Norris topping the overall timesheet on the first day of F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2025 at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
Norris shone brightest under lights as the F1 grid made their first appearance together on track, stepping up their preparations for the start of the 2025 FIA F1 World Championship next month.
The Briton registered a best lap time of one minute 30.430 seconds during testing’s afternoon session around BIC’s 5.412-kilometre track.
Temperatures were cool throughout the day and the times were quicker during the evening runs.
Norris led a top four overall that included George Russell of Mercedes, four-time defending drivers’ world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari – all of whom were within five-tenths of each other.
Russell’s teammate and popular rookie Kimi Antonelli had earlier set the pace during yesterday’s morning test. He had a fastest lap of 1:31.428 in daytime conditions, which later turned out to be the seventh-best time overall.
Testing continues today and tomorrow with BIC set to welcome fans to enjoy all the F1 action.
Gates are scheduled to open at 11am, with the tests running all day over two sessions – the first in the morning from 10am to 2pm and then in the afternoon from 3pm to 7pm.
Norris set the best time today in McLaren’s MCL39 contender. Testing alongside him in the later session were Verstappen in Red Bull Racing’s RB21, Russell in Mercedes’s W16, Leclerc in Ferrari’s SF-25, Carlos Sainz in the Williams FW47, Pierre Gasly in Alpine’s A525, Lance Stroll in Aston Martin’s AMR25, Esteban Ocon in the VF-25 of Haas, Isack Hadjar in Racing Bulls’ VCARB 02, and Gabriel Bortoleto in Kick Sauber’s C45.
Hitting the track in the morning with early pace-setter Antonelli were Red Bull Racing’s Liam Lawson, Williams’ Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda of Racing Bulls, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Alpine’s Jack Doohan, Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg for Kick Sauber, and Oliver Bearman in the other Haas challenger.
Norris had completed 37 laps during his test en route to setting the overall pace.
“Good first day, good amount of laps – would have liked a few more, to be honest, but happy to be back in the car,” Norris said after his outing. “Straight into debrief now, discussing stuff.
“Hopefully Oscar’s comments and my comments all align, but a good start to the three days.”
Russell finished with the second-best time 0.157s off Norris’s mark, while Verstappen was classified third 0.244s back. Leclerc was fourth 0.448s adrift, Sainz came fifth 0.908s from the front, and Gasly was sixth 0.923s behind Norris. Each of the top six’s best laps were clocked in the evening.
Antonelli had a 0.998s gap from Norris in seventh on the overall timesheet, while Lawson (+1.130s) followed in eighth, with Albon (+1.143s) and Tsunoda (+1.180s) completing the top 10.
“The car felt good right away and I am pleased with the initial feeling at the wheel,” said Gasly. “Everything worked as expected and we began to explore different set-ups, which gives us some direction for the rest of the week.
“I’m definitely looking forward to continuing the work in the morning and targeting another productive day alongside Jack.”
Tsunoda commented: “A good day during which we gathered lots of data. The main focus was to understand the car’s characteristics and its behaviour.
“The car mostly worked as we had expected, which is positive. Of course there were a few bits and bobs we need to look at, but that’s what pre-season testing is all about.
“There were no major issues, so well done to the team for what was clearly a good job during the off season.”
Classified 11th through 20th, respectively, on day one were Hadjar (+1.317s), Hamilton (+1.404s), Doohan (+1.411s), Alonso (+1.444s), Piastri (+1.654s), Hulkenberg (+1.739s), Stroll (+1.902s), Bortoleto (+2.275s), Ocon (+3.170s), and Bearman (+5.092s).
Hulkenberg commented at the end of the day: “Between the two sessions, we gathered a useful amount of data about how the car behaves, which the team will be working on overnight. Now, it’s about learning more over the next few days, making the most of our track time.”
While setting the fastest time of the morning, Antonelli had also completed 78 laps. Tsunoda matched that output while Bearman registered 72 laps, which were the leading three mileage totals amongst all the drivers yesterday.
Tickets for fans wishing to attend F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2025 at BIC cost BD10 for adults and BD5 for kids, per day. They can be purchased online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000.
Meanwhile, those who had purchased their tickets to the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 on or before 7 December, 2024, will have free access to the tests, making for an incredible two F1 events with one single ticket.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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