Overview

• Lando Norris set the fastest time during the first practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
• Practice took place in scorching conditions, with track temperatures reaching 50°C, making the session less representative of the race's cooler evening conditions.
• Several teams utilized the session to provide track time to young drivers, including Ayumu Iwasa for Red Bull and Dino Beganovic for Ferrari.
• Max Verstappen, currently one point behind Norris in the championship standings, sat out the session as part of Red Bull's rookie obligations.
• Ferrari introduced upgrades to their car, but Lewis Hamilton reported balance issues during the session, while McLaren appeared confident in their performance despite challenging low-speed corners.