Verstappen Tops Day 1 Morning Session at 2026 F1 Pre-Season Test in Bahrain
Max Verstappen set the fastest lap in the Day 1 morning session of the 2026 F1 pre-season test at Bahrain International Circuit, ahead of Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
Prasanth Subramani
0
41
Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in the Day 1 morning session of the first 2026 Formula 1 pre-season test held at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The Red Bull driver clocked the fastest lap of the four-hour session with a time of 1:35.433, finishing ahead of Oscar Piastri of McLaren and George Russell of Mercedes.
Morning Session – Top Times
-
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:35.433
-
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.169 sec
-
George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.675 sec
-
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 4th fastest
The strong performance marks an encouraging start for Verstappen and Red Bull as teams begin their testing programmes ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season opener, focusing on performance data, reliability, and adapting to the new regulations.
