Formula 1 hits the track again for the first practice session of the weekend at the Sakhir Circuit. Here’s what happened during FP1 in Bahrain!
After wrapping up the Suzuka weekend—where Max Verstappen returned to pole position and claimed a dominant race win—it’s time to focus on round four of the season, held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
The session ended with Lando Norris topping the timesheets in FP1, in a session that didn’t provide much meaningful data for the teams, largely due to track conditions not representative of those expected in qualifying and the race. That makes FP2 all the more crucial for gathering useful information on car behavior and grip in cooler conditions as the sun sets.
Behind the McLaren driver in the top ten were Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, Jack Doohan, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, and Oscar Piastri. Trouble for young Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who ended his session early due to a car issue.
As per FIA regulations, six drivers gave up their seats to rookies for the opening session in the Middle East. Among them was Dino Beganovic, who made his official Formula 1 debut behind the wheel of Leclerc’s SF-25. Carlos Sainz also sat out the session, with Luke Browning stepping in for him at Williams. Line-up changes also took place at Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Haas, with Ayumu Iwasa, Fred Vesti, Felipe Drugovich, and Ryo Hirakawa filling in for Max Verstappen, George Russell, Fernando Alonso, and Oliver Bearman, respectively.
LIVE Report – FP1 in Bahrain
14:30 – Lando Norris sets the fastest time in FP1 at Sakhir, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton. Next up: FP2 at 17:00, a key session for nailing down qualifying setups.
14:26 – With just minutes remaining, Williams applies flow-vis paint to the right side of Alex Albon’s front wing to gather final aero data from this opening hour on track.
14:24 – Five minutes to go and Hamilton clocks the third-fastest time on soft tires, trailing only Norris and Gasly.
14:09 – Big slide from Oscar Piastri in the final corner. Meanwhile, the FIA reports an investigation into an incident between Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda failed to return to the Red Bull pit and nearly collided with Albon in the pit lane.
14:07 – For the final 20 minutes of FP1, Dino Beganovic is running with Ferrari’s newly introduced floor—also fitted to Hamilton’s car since the start of the session. Hamilton currently sits 14th, while the Swedish rookie is in 19th.
14:04 – A brief 1-2 for Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto go quickest after completing flying laps on softs. Meanwhile, confirmation arrives that Kimi Antonelli will not return to the track for the remainder of FP1.
13:55 – Alex Albon flies to P1 with a 1:35.180 on medium tires, just ahead of Lando Norris, who suffered a lock-up.
13:46 – Updates come in on the issue that sent Antonelli back to the pits. According to Sky Sport F1 Italy, the loss of power in the #12 Silver Arrow was caused by a water leak.
13:40 – Lewis Hamilton complains of lack of grip in his SF-25 over team radio to his race engineer, Riccardo Adami. Similar complaints also come from Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, and Isack Hadjar.
13:35 – A trip off track for Fred Vesti, Mercedes reserve driver filling in for George Russell in the W15. Meanwhile, fellow Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli also reports problems over the radio and returns to the garage.
13:30 – Welcome to live coverage of FP1 at the fourth round of the Formula 1 season! The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend is underway, and some teams will be hunting for early answers.
12:22 – Eyes on Ferrari and the new upgrades brought to Sakhir. The green light for FP1 will be given at 13:30.
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari HP.
