F1 testing 2026: Max Verstappen fastest in first morning in Bahrain
Energy management will be a key aspect of the new season, and teams and drivers are beginning to explore the best way to manage hybrid engines and their electrical components for optimum lap time.
However, while the four teams expected to be closest to the front ranked highest, pre-season favorite George Russell from Mercedes ranked third fastest, ahead of Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari.
Williams, who had his first serious drive with his car after delays forced him to miss a week-long test drive in Spain last month, was seventh fastest with Carlos Sainz.
The Spaniard was behind Esteban Ocon’s Haas and 18-year-old British rookie Arvid Lindblad for the Racing Bulls.
Gone are the Aston Martin team, who were the center of attention with their first Adrian Newey-designed car at the start of their engine partnership with Honda – Lance Stroll, who drove all day on Wednesday, was more than four seconds on the pace.
Each team fielded one driver in the morning session, alongside other drivers including world champion Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and took over from 12:00 GMT in the afternoon session.
