Formula 1 championship leader Lando Norris put McLaren top of the Bahrain Grand Prix practice timesheets on Friday in an otherwise unrepresentative first session packed with young drivers gaining experience.
The Briton lapped the Sakhir circuit with a best time of 1:33.204, 0.238 seconds faster than Alpine’s Pierre Gasly with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton third after a run on the soft tyres.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Norris’s closest championship rival and one point behind after three races, sat out the session in the 35-degree afternoon heat as the team gave young Japanese driver Ayumu Iwasa time in the car.
Iwasa was one of several less familiar names stepping in for the session, with Sunday’s race in the cooler evening/night, as part of an obligation to give young drivers track time.
Luke Browning took Carlos Sainz’s Williams, and was 13th fastest, Dino Beganovic (14th) was at the wheel of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and Felipe Drugovich (16th) stepped into Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin.
Ryo Hirakawa (17th) replaced rookie Oliver Bearman at Haas while Fred Vesti (18th) took George Russell’s Mercedes.
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is only 18 but has a race seat alongside Russell, was last on the timesheets after reporting a loss of power early on and returning to the garage for mechanics to work on the car.
Williams’ Alex Albon, fourth fastest, and Browning almost collided on track after a miscommunication while the latter was on a fast lap and the former going slower, with the stewards investigating.
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