Norris Tops Bahrain Test as Ferrari Struggles with Hamilton

The second Thursday morning session in Bahrain has already wrapped up! Ferrari lost valuable test time because driver Lewis Hamilton had to wait in the garage for a long spell after completing just five laps. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were duelling to lay down the fastest lap of the week, with the Brit provisionally coming out on top with a 1:33.453. The McLaren driver was therefore faster than George Russell’s quickest time from the day before, but was noticeably slower off the line than the Brit during the practice starts at the end of the session.

As soon as the lights went green, Max Verstappen immediately headed out in the RB22. Haas driver Oliver Bearman and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto followed the world champion closely. The Dutchman suffered a small wheel lock-up — a common occurrence during test days, because the new cars have less downforce than their predecessors — on his way to his first quick lap. It was Lando Norris, however, who posted the day’s first benchmark: a 1:34.625. The Brit was still 1.2 seconds off Wednesday’s fastest time; George Russell had put in a 1:33.459 then. Not long after, Verstappen dipped five thousandths under Norris’s time.

Towards the end of the opening hour the day’s quickest lap was back in Norris’s hands. The Brit’s 1:33.453 actually shaved six thousandths off George Russell’s time. By then every team had been out on track except Cadillac. After eighty minutes Valtteri Bottas finally appeared on circuit, his car fitted with impressive aero rakes.

Problems at Ferrari

Like Cadillac, Ferrari also spent a long time in the garage during the morning. Lewis Hamilton managed only five laps, but attention was immediately fixed on the rear wing of his Ferrari car. On the straight it didn’t just open — it rotated as well, ending up upside down. A day earlier Ferrari had already surprised the paddock with a striking winglet for the SF-26’s exhaust pipe.

Midway through the session the temperature in Bahrain climbed sharply – the track temperature was now 42 degrees Celsius – so many teams switched to long runs. Norris supplied a tense moment: the Brit suffered a lock-up and ran briefly off track, but carried on without issue. While Fernando Alonso was racking up valuable test miles – the AMR26 had spent a long time in the garage on Wednesday after Lance Stroll’s spin – everyone was still waiting on Hamilton. The Brit only emerged in the final ten minutes of the morning session, just in time to take part in the FIA-announced practice starts.

Hamilton was first away in the practice start, ahead of Russell and Norris. That same Norris still held the fastest time at the end of the morning session, a 1:33.453, with Max Verstappen right on his heels. Russell, with 77 laps, had the most productive morning of any driver.

The result of the morning session on the second Thursday in Bahrain