The opening practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix saw McLaren’s Lando Norris set the fastest time, while several rookie drivers were given valuable track experience at the Bahrain International Circuit. With pre-season testing having already taken place at this Sakhir venue and the daytime FP1 session occurring in conditions vastly different from the evening race, teams opted to provide their reserve and test drivers with an opportunity to gain crucial Formula 1 mileage. Among those stepping into regular drivers’ seats were Ayumu Iwasa at Red Bull, replacing reigning world champion Max Verstappen, and Dino Beganovic piloting Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari SF-25. Mercedes saw Frederik Vesti take over from George Russell, while Felipe Drugovich drove in place of Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. Haas gave Ryo Hirakawa the chance in Ollie Bearman’s car, and Luke Browning took Carlos Sainz’s seat at Williams.
Early Pace Set by Norris: Despite the unusual driver lineup for several teams, it was championship leader Lando Norris who ultimately topped the timesheets. The McLaren driver set an early benchmark with a lap time of 1:35.249. This time, while leading the session, was notably six seconds slower than the fastest lap recorded during pre-season testing by Carlos Sainz, highlighting the differing track conditions. Williams’ Alex Albon initially emerged as Norris’ closest competitor, but the top spot was then briefly taken by Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, who set a time of 1:34.628 on the soft compound tires. The times continued to shuffle, with Bortoleto and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly trading fastest laps before Norris reclaimed the lead with a time of 1:33.204. At this stage, Gasly held second, followed by Albon and Haas driver Esteban Ocon.
Hamilton’s Late Soft Tire Run: As the session progressed towards its conclusion, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finally equipped his SF-25 with a set of the soft Pirelli tires. This late run saw the seven-time world champion climb the leaderboard to third position, slotting in behind Norris and Gasly. Hamilton’s running also provided the team with valuable data as they evaluated the new floor upgrade Ferrari has introduced for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The final order saw Albon drop to fourth, with Ocon taking fifth place. Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg finished sixth, ahead of Alpine’s Jack Doohan in seventh. Rounding out the top ten were Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, and Oscar Piastri.
Rookies Gain Valuable Experience: A significant aspect of this FP1 session was the opportunity it provided for several rookie drivers to gain experience behind the wheel of Formula 1 cars. Of the six rookies participating, Williams’ Luke Browning was the highest placed, finishing in an impressive 13th position with a time of 1:34.885. This placed him 1.681 seconds behind Norris and just under two tenths of a second ahead of Ferrari’s Dino Beganovic, who finished 14th. Felipe Drugovich ended the session in 16th, followed by Ryo Hirakawa in 17th and Frederik Vesti in 18th. Ayumu Iwasa, substituting for Verstappen, finished in 19th, with regular Mercedes reserve driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli completing the running order in 20th, having only completed a limited number of laps.
Summary:
- Lando Norris topped the FP1 session for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix.
- Six rookie drivers were given track time by their respective teams.
- Luke Browning (Williams) was the highest-placed rookie in 13th.
- Lewis Hamilton finished third after a late run on soft tires.
- The session took place in unrepresentative daytime conditions.
Disclaimer: This report details the results of the first free practice session. Performance in this session may not be indicative of qualifying or race performance due to differing track conditions and testing programs.
Source: FIA
AI Assistance: Gemini