F1 testing in Bahrain took a dramatic turn as a sudden power outage disrupted sessions, with McLaren’s Lando Norris seizing the fastest lap while Lewis Hamilton lagged in 13th. The incident forced a one-hour suspension, casting uncertainty over team strategies just weeks before the season opener.
Norris edged out Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.157 seconds, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen settled for third. Hamilton, now with Ferrari, faced a rocky start, finishing 13th overall despite a fifth-place morning run. Rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli turned heads with the day’s seventh-fastest time in Hamilton’s former Mercedes seat.
The afternoon session plunged into darkness when an electrical failure disabled garage lighting and track floodlights. Officials extended the day by one hour to compensate, though teams grappled with unpredictable conditions. “Testing times rarely reveal true pace,” one engineer noted, citing varying fuel loads and tire strategies.
Key factors complicating this year’s preseason testing include:
- Unseasonably cool, windy weather altering track dynamics
- Bahrain’s atypical March slot versus its traditional season-opening role
- Limited track time per team (one car per session)
Hamilton’s Ferrari debut remains under scrutiny as fans await his partnership with Charles Leclerc. Meanwhile, Antonelli’s strong showing fuels speculation about Mercedes’ post-Hamilton era. With the Australian Grand Prix looming on March 16, teams face intensified pressure to decode today’s mixed results.
