Red Bull’s Verstappen Dominates Bahrain Pre‑Season Test

Verstappen was the first driver to take the Bahrain International Circuit after a long break, and he stayed on top for the entire morning session. The 2024 pre‑season test is the first of two three‑day runs, and all 11 teams are back after Williams missed the previous event in Barcelona. The test format gives each team one car per day, so drivers alternate between the morning and afternoon sessions. Some will run a full day while others split time, but Verstappen chose to stay in the car from 10:00 until the session ended. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls were next to hit the track, followed by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.Colapinto’s first lap ended in a red flag when he stopped on the side of the track, but once cleared racing resumed. The drivers used this time to gauge grip and fine‑tune their cars, with Lewis Hamilton spinning once and Verstappen locking up at Turn 1 before re‑entering the race. By the finish, Verstappen’s best lap was 1 m 35. 433 s, keeping him 0. 169 s ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Mercedes’ George Russell was third, 0. 6 s behind the leader, while Hamilton and Esteban Ocon rounded out the top five. Lindblad and Carlos Sainz of Williams completed the most laps, 75 and 77 respectively. Bortoleto finished eighth, followed by Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll and Colapinto. After an hour‑long 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.