McLaren outpaces the competition in Bahrain

The McLaren duo dominated the first day of training at the Formula 1 round in Bahrain.

11 April 2025

From: dpa

Australian Oscar Piastri took the fastest time of the day, with World Championship leader Lando Norris just behind in second place. The two McLaren drivers had a significant lead over their rivals, led by George Russell in the Mercedes, during the practice laps in Sakhir. Defending champion Max Verstappen, winner in Japan last week, could only manage seventh place in the Red Bull.

Verstappen took a break during the opening practice session. The Dutchman entrusted his company car to young driver Ayumu Iwasa from Japan and treated himself to a break in shorts in the team garage in 35-degree heat. The reason for the defending champion's free time was the rule that teams must give a young driver a chance to participate in practice on at least four race weekends of the season.

Lando Norris leads the points standings. © APA/afp / GIUSEPPE CACACE

In Bahrain, six racing teams swapped a regular driver for the first practice session. Young drivers at Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Williams, and Haas were also able to gain some training mileage. Verstappen's replacement, Iwasa, finished second to last.

Clear favorite role for McLaren

For the second practice session, all regular drivers returned to the cockpit. In darkness and slightly cooler temperatures, conditions were similar to those expected for the fourth race of the season on Sunday (17.00:XNUMX p.m./Sky).

Max Verstappen must improve. © APA/afp / FADEL SENNA

Before the Grand Prix in the rubble desert of Bahrain, Briton Norris leads the overall standings by one point over Verstappen. Based on the impressions from practice, McLaren will likely be difficult to beat in Sakhir.