Red Bull’s Verstappen Dominates Bahrain Pre‑Season Test

Max Verstappen set the pace in the morning session of the 2024 pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, topping the timesheets from start to finish.

Test Format and Early Runners

The three-day test is the first of two pre-season runs, with all 11 teams participating after Williams missed the previous event in Barcelona. The test format allows each team to run one car per day, with drivers alternating between morning and afternoon sessions.

Verstappen chose to stay in the car for the entire morning session, from 10:00 until its conclusion. He was followed by Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto also taking to the track.

Red Flags and Track Action

Colapinto’s first lap ended in a red flag when he stopped on the side of the track. Once cleared, racing resumed, with drivers focusing on gauging grip and fine-tuning their cars. Lewis Hamilton spun once, and Verstappen locked up at Turn 1 before re-entering the race.

Final Standings

By the session’s end, Verstappen’s best lap time was 1m 35.433s, keeping him 0.169s ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Mercedes’ George Russell was third, 0.6s behind the leader, while Hamilton and Esteban Ocon rounded out the top five.

Lindblad and Carlos Sainz of Williams completed the most laps, with 75 and 77 respectively. Bortoleto finished eighth, followed by Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, and Colapinto.

Afternoon Session

After a one-hour lunch break, most teams will swap drivers for the afternoon session starting at 15:00. Red Bull, Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, and Haas will keep the same driver lineup for both sessions.