McLaren’s Lando Norris sets pace as Formula 1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2026 flags off at BIC

McLaren’s Lando Norris sets pace as Formula 1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2026 flags off at BIC

• Reigning F1 Drivers’ World Champion clocks day one’s fastest time of 1min 34.669secs
• Bahrain’s six days of F1 testing to continue Thursday and Friday at BIC as part of first of two three-day sessions

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’, kicked off Formula 1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2026 today, with defending F1 Drivers’ World Champion Lando Norris topping the day one timesheet.

Norris set a fastest lap time of 1min 34.669secs in his MCL40 contender for back-to-back F1 Constructors’ World Champions McLaren. He clocked his mark during the evening session, held under BIC’s bright, state-of-the-art floodlights and in cool evening conditions.

Bahrain is hosting six days of the pre-season tests as F1’s 11 teams and their star drivers get acclimated to the new generation F1 cars – a product of the biggest rule changes in the top flight’s history, which will be coming into effect in the 2026 FIA F1 World Championship.

The tests at BIC mark the first opportunity for F1 fans in Bahrain and worldwide to see the challengers in action on track.

Norris set the first day’s pace while registering 58 laps of running after sharing the driving duries with teammate Oscar Piastri, who tested in the morning.

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen in his RB22 car followed 0.129secs behind, while Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari SF-26 was classified third quickest 0.521s back. Esteban Ocon of Haas ranked fourth in his VF-26 0.909s from the top, while Piastri was fifth 0.933s adrift.

Sixth through 10th, respectively, today were George Russell (+1.439s) in his Mercedes F1 W17, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton (+1.764s), Alpine’s Pierre Gasly (+2.096s) behind the wheel of his A526, Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg (+2.192s) in his R26, and Alexander Albon (+2.768s) in Williams’s FW48.