McLaren’s Lando Norris fastest after power cut halts F1 testing
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McLaren's Lando Norris driving during the first day of the Formula One pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
PHOTO: AFP
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SAKHIR – Title favourite Lando Norris was fastest for Formula One champions McLaren, after a power cut disrupted the first of three days of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit on Feb 26.
The session was extended by an hour into the evening after the outage – caused by a substation failure – plunged garages into darkness, with engineers using torches as mechanics connected backup generators.
“I came to the pits and said ‘It’s dark out here. I need to change my visor’. Then I realised there are no floodlights around,” Mercedes’ George Russell told Sky Sports television.
“It would have been hectic if this was an hour later and the sun had already set.”
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had already done 70 laps, as he started official testing for Ferrari after his move from Mercedes at the end of 2024.
The 40-year-old Briton, chasing a record eighth title in 2025, was fifth fastest in a morning session led by his Mercedes replacement, 18-year-old Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“Our focus right now is on experimenting with different things, gathering as much data as possible and getting familiar with the car, and we’ve already learnt a lot. It’s too early to really understand performance, but everything feels good,” said Hamilton.
Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc took over the car after lunch and was fourth overall.
Norris, last season’s runner-up to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and now the bookmakers’ favourite, said it was nice to be back in the car after setting a day’s best time of 1min 30.430sec.
“It was a good, fun day on track, and we progressed through a lot of the tests that we wanted to do. I’m looking forward to pushing the car a bit more over the next couple of days,” he said.
Antonelli was the first on track and did 78 laps with a morning best of 1:31.428. He handed over to Russell, who was second fastest with 69 laps and ahead of Verstappen (74 laps).
“We don’t know pace yet but everything is working well... It is all in control and that is what we can hope for really to start my testing,” said Verstappen.
Engineers used torches in the garages, as mechanics connected back-up generators, following a power cut at the Sakhir circuit.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
In other news, Formula One’s governing body rubber-stamped proposals for a mandatory two-stop strategy to help revive the Monaco Grand Prix as a spectacle.
The race on Monaco’s distinctive twisty streets has remained largely unchanged since the first race in 1929.
The top 10 in 2024 finished in the same order they started, with the size and weight of modern-day F1 cars making overtaking all but impossible on the iconic 3.4km circuit.
The decision has been pushed through “with the primary intent of improving the sporting spectacle” of the event, the FIA’s world motor sport council announced in Bahrain. REUTERS, AFP
