Norris fastest in Day 1 of F1 pre-season testing after power failure
26th February 2025McLaren’s Lando Norris was the fastest driver on the opening day of Formula 1’s pre-season test, in Bahrain, after the sport extended the session due to a power failure.
Feature image credit: CC
Formula 1 returned on Wednesday to kick start the official action in 2025 with the annual pre-season test. The reigning constructors champions sat on top after nine hours as Norris took the fastest lap of the day.
It was scheduled to be an eight-hour test on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but halfway through the first day, it was extended to nine following a circuit-wide power failure.
The power had gone out for over an hour before it slowly started to come on, first, the garages and buildings came on before the floodlights lit back up, section by section.
As a result, the session was extended by an hour and finished at 8pm instead of its scheduled 7pm finish.
The FIA have confirmed the WMSC has approved a two-stop mandatory Monaco Grand Prix, in a bid to improve the ‘sporting spectacle.’#F1 / #F1Testing https://t.co/sb1ZRGeK5N
— Apex Motorsports (@ApexMSPRT) February 26, 2025
Who were the afternoon runners?
- McLaren – Lando Norris
- Ferrari – Charles Leclerc
- Red Bull – Max Verstappen
- Mercedes – George Russell
- Aston Martin – Lance Stroll
- Alpine – Pierre Gasly
- Haas – Esteban Ocon
- Racing Bulls – Isack Hadjar
- Williams – Carlos Sainz
- Sauber – Gabriel Bortoleto
Of the afternoon runners, Norris was fastest overall with a lap time of one minute 30.430 seconds ahead of Russell and Verstappen.
Leclerc and Sainz completed the top five, with Gasly the last of the late drivers to finish inside the top 10, in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
Hadjar, Bortoleto, Stroll and Ocon completed the session – and the PM runners – down in 11th, 12th, 16th and 19th.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- FIA confirm mandatory two-stop F1 Monaco GP
- Leclerc top so far in Afternoon session of F1 pre-season testing – Day 1
- Lawson fastest in first half of morning F1 2025 testing – Day 1
- Who is driving on day 1 of 2025 F1 pre-season test?
- Alpine break cover with shakedown filming day at Bahrain
- Carlos Sainz announced as new GPDA director
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
