Normally, free training in Formula 1 is a sacred space in which teams and pilots refine their tuning. They adjust and work. But those at the beginning of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the fourth event of the 2025 World Cup, will have nothing to do with that. They presented 35 degrees of ambient temperature and 48 on the track, something far away at the time of truth, and six debutants completing the mandatory program of the equipment. Anyway, Lando Norris (1: 33,204) is already the fastest of a training where Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen …
Norris, in Action.mclaren F1 Twitter
In total, six unusual rose to F1 in free 1. by Alonso (Felipe Drugovich), Sainz (Luke Browning), Verstappen (Ayumu Iwasa), George Russell (Frederik Víti), Charles Leclerc (Dino Beganovic) and Oliver Bearman (Ryo Hirakawa). The best time corresponded to Browning (1: 34,885), although he also left the scare of training by almost bursting the FW47 that Sainz will carry.
Issues
Above, Norris. The World Cup leader is already in the lead and is something that can occur throughout the weekend. But it will not be to start from a fp1 not too remarkable. Of course, it started quite moved in the upper part. Because Andrea Kimi Antonelli soon reported that her Mercedes ran out of power and only took three turns, the McLaren rushed track limits until the end and Lewis Hamilton, at the premiere of the new floor of the SF-25, felt no grip with the hard wheels. The British sensations were bad at their premiere in the Persian Gulf. And the thing did not improve on the other side of the box, because that of Leclerc that Beganovic brought, lost time after some mechanical problem.
In the middle of the mess, there were also positive sensations prior to the laps with soft. Of the McLaren, of course, up soon. Or Alex Albon, who shows a Williams again with capacity in the Bareiní layout. They fought by the head until the Sauber (1: 34,262 of Hulkenberg) gave the first fast laps with the softer rubber. Without many displays on a track still complicated under the sun.
Antonelli, with problems. TV chart
Aston Martin suffers
The soft ones also did not give great readings, following the line with all the training. Yes they gave tense moments, such as the incident between the two Williams in the 13th. Albon closed and Luke Browning, at full speed, touched him. In the other team with Spanish interest, the thing did not start worse. Lance Stroll stayed more than second and a half of the fastest laps, while Drugovich made a similar time in an AMR25 with tremendous survival. Alonso must save the ballot.
Although key Alonso, the other reality bath can be coming. Neither sensations nor times, with teams from the middle zone, such as Alpine (Gasly), Williams (Albon) and Haas (Ocon), much more glued to the head of the table.
That honor corresponded to Lando Norris, which hits first. Without closing a especially bright return, but going down to 1: 33,204 that reduced the chronos in three tenths. He left his partner Piastri away, without attacking with soft. And it did not allow to approach the other reference names of the session, such as Tsunoda and the Red Bull (+1.2) or a Hamilton that climbed to the 3rd, but suffered (+0.5) with several configurations.
It is just a first warning, which may have nothing to do when Max Verstappen arrives at the fight. But it already makes it clear that McLaren is not for the work of losing his head. Norris governs and in the middle zone reigns the sinsabor of the Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso are entrusted again, of course.
Free classification 1
1st L. Norris 1’33 “204
2nd P. Gasly +00 “238
3rd L. Hamilton +00 “596
4th A. Albon +00 “724
5th E. OCON +00 “980
6th N. Hulkenberg +01 “058
7th J. Doohan +01 “192
8th L. Lawson +01 “193
9th Y. Tsunoda +01 “280
10th O. PIASTRI +01 “304
11th G. Bortoleto +01 “424
12th I. Hadjar +01 “463
13th L. Browning +01 “681
14th D. Beganovic +01 “851
15º L. Stroll +01 “912
16th F. Drugovich +01 “994
17º R. Hirakawa +02 “057
18º F. VARI +02 “121
19º A. IWASA +02 “271
20º K. Antonelli 1’38 “051 +04” 847