Lando Norris tops Bahrain GP FP1 for McLaren as Gasly shines for Alpine

The Formula 1 circus has returned to the familiar sands of the Bahrain International Circuit, and the opening practice session (FP1) for the Bahrain Grand Prix delivered intrigue, surprises, and valuable track time, particularly for a cohort of rookie drivers. Under the baking desert sun, it was McLaren's Lando Norris who set the pace, but a rejuvenated Alpine and several noteworthy incidents kept the pit wall and fans engaged throughout the 60-minute session.

Norris Sets the Benchmark, But Alpine Raise Eyebrows

As the chequered flag fell, Lando Norris sat atop the timesheets with a lap of 1m 33.204s, set on the C3 soft compound tyre. McLaren, widely expected to be strong contenders, thus started the weekend on the front foot, with Norris often showing strong early-weekend pace.

However, the biggest surprise came from the Alpine garage. Pierre Gasly, piloting the A524, stunned many by securing the second-fastest time, just two-tenths shy of Norris. His former teammate, Esteban Ocon, also featured prominently earlier in the session, suggesting a potential step forward for Haas.

Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three for Ferrari. His lap came later in the session, benefiting from slightly better track evolution as more rubber was laid down. Despite reporting the car felt "horrendous" earlier on the medium tyres, the later soft tyre run yielded a more competitive time, albeit six-tenths off Norris's benchmark.

A Busy Day for the Rookies

FP1 in Bahrain saw significant driver rotation, with six teams fulfilling one of their mandatory rookie outing requirements. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, and Ollie Bearman all sat out the session, giving valuable mileage to the next generation:

Ayumu Iwasa (Red Bull): Replacing Verstappen, finished P19.
Dino Beganovic (Ferrari): Replacing Leclerc, finished P14.
Fred Vesti (Mercedes): Replacing Russell, finished P18.
Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin): Replacing Alonso, finished P16.
Ryo Hirakawa (Haas): Replacing Bearman (after driving for Alpine last weekend!), finished P17.
Luke Browning (Williams): Replacing Sainz, finished an impressive P13.

All rookies managed the session professionally, avoiding major incidents. Browning, in the competitive Williams, particularly stood out. However, it wasn't smooth sailing for all temporary drivers.

Antonelli's Troubled Debut

While not officially listed as one of the six mandatory rookies in the initial overview, Kimi Antonelli did take the wheel of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes early in the session. Unfortunately, his run was cut drastically short. After just three laps, the young Italian reported "no power" and was forced to crawl back to the pits. Mercedes mechanics were later seen working intensely on the W15, reportedly tackling a water pressure issue. This significantly limited Antonelli's track time and data gathering for the team in the crucial opening session.

Track Conditions and Incidents Spice Up the Action

Run under scorching conditions (35°C air, track temps nearing 50°C), FP1 provided unrepresentative conditions compared to the cooler evening slots for qualifying and the race. Grip was initially very low, as reported by Oscar Piastri ("There's no grip out here at all") and Liam Lawson ("shocking" balance).

The session wasn't without its close calls:

Williams Near Miss: A potentially dangerous moment occurred between the two Williams drivers. Alex Albon was on a slow cool-down lap while teammate Luke Browning was on a flying lap. Browning had to take evasive action to avoid Albon after navigating past Felipe Drugovich, prompting a "Woah, that was close" radio message from the Aston Martin driver. This incident is under investigation by the stewards.
Albon Pit Lane Incident: Alex Albon was also noted for an unsafe release from the Williams pit box, emerging close to Yuki Tsunoda's Racing Bulls car. Albon immediately apologised over the radio, but this too caught the attention of the stewards.

Alex Albon also reported a temporary loss of power during the session but was able to resolve it with switch changes advised by his engineer, eventually finishing P4 after the early runs.

Tyre Strategies and Early Pace Setters

Teams utilised a mix of the C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), and C3 (Soft) tyres provided by Pirelli. Early running focused on the harder compounds, with Albon and Norris trading fastest times on the mediums. As the session progressed past the halfway mark, soft tyres emerged. Haas showed early promise with Nico Hulkenberg briefly topping the timesheets, and Kick Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto also enjoyed a moment at P1 after bolting on the C3 rubber.

Ferrari ran their new floor upgrade exclusively on Lewis Hamilton's car for comparison purposes, though Hamilton's early feedback wasn't overly positive about the car's general feel.

Looking Ahead to FP2

With FP1 conditions being largely unrepresentative, the focus now shifts sharply to the evening FP2 session (18:00 local time, 15:00 UTC). This session will provide a much clearer picture of car performance and tyre behaviour in conditions similar to those expected for qualifying and the Grand Prix.

Regular drivers like Verstappen, Leclerc, and Russell will return, eager to get their weekends properly underway. Key questions remain: Can Norris and McLaren maintain their edge? Was Gasly's pace genuine or a low-fuel glory run? And how will the established front-runners respond as the Bahrain weekend truly ignites under the floodlights?