What did the pilots say after the first day in Bahrain?

McLaren
Lando Norris

• 1st, 58 rpm

“It was good to be back behind the wheel today. We tested a lot of things, which allowed us to gather a lot of data to analyze, as well as a better understanding of the car. Obviously, being in Bahrain in the sunshine means the conditions are very different from those in Barcelona: it’s very hot and quite windy, and it was interesting to see how differently the car behaves. A positive day, lots of lessons learned, and I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel tomorrow.”

Oscar piastri

• 5th at 0.933 s, 115 rpm

“A good first morning back in the car. Everything went smoothly and I feel like I have a better understanding of what the car is doing and what it needs. The conditions here are very different compared to Barcelona, ​​so it was good to drive in a different environment. We'll analyze the data, see what we can learn from it and how to improve before heading back out on track.”

ALSO READ > LIVE – Follow day 2 of the Bahrain F1 tests with live text commentary

Red Bull
Max Verstappen

• 2th at 0.129 s, 136 rpm

"We had a good day today; we did a lot of laps and tested different programs. Red Bull Ford Powertrains is still a completely new project compared to the others, so there's a huge amount to learn and understand before the first race. We've followed many of the testing procedures we might encounter during a race weekend: it can be simpler for an engine manufacturer that's been around for a long time, but when you're starting out, you have to test everything. Of course, we've also done a lot of regular running. Everyone is following completely different programs, so we're not focusing on lap times or the standings.

Classic Ferrari for sale
Lewis Hamilton

• 7th at 1.764 s, 52 rpm

"It was good to get back behind the wheel and string together some laps. The track conditions were quite tricky today: there was a lot of dust and sand, and the wind was very strong. It's still too early to say where we stand. At this stage, everyone is following a different path, so the most important thing is to focus on ourselves and continue learning. I see a very focused team and, over the next few days, we will continue to work step by step and make progress.

Charles Leclerc

• 3th at 0.521 s, 80 rpm

“It was a productive half-day of testing for me, as we were able to complete the program without any major issues, which is always positive at this stage. The feeling was quite different compared to Barcelona, ​​as the conditions here are very different, but that’s exactly what we need: to gain experience on another circuit and understand how the car behaves in different scenarios.” So far, the data is generally in line with what we expected from our simulations, which is encouraging. The goal now is to continue the program and ensure we are as ready as possible for the first race.

Mercedes Benz
George Russell

• 6th at 1.439 s, 56 rpm

“We had a difficult first day here in Bahrain. We had three good days on track in Barcelona, ​​but we didn’t get off to the same start here in the Middle East. We experimented with the overall balance of the car this morning, but it didn’t feel as responsive as it did in Spain. This is partly due to the higher track temperatures, but we have work to do to get the W17 into a better operating window.” Unfortunately, we lost a lot of laps this afternoon due to a suspension problem that kept Kimi in the garage for several hours. Our competitors, including Red Bull Racing and McLarenThey impressed once again, just like in Barcelona. It's clear we have some ground to make up, and we're already working hard to achieve that.

Kimi Antonelli

• 11th at 2.960 s, 30 laps

“It was great to be back in the car after the shakedown in Barcelona. Unfortunately, we had a suspension issue that interrupted our program this afternoon, which limited my running. We lost almost two hours of track time, and that delayed our program. However, the team in the garage did an excellent job resolving the issue as quickly as possible, and we were able to complete 30 laps before the end of the day.”

This isn't an ideal start to these first tests, so we're looking forward to getting back on track tomorrow. Several of our competitors looked very strong today, so we're catching up. Our goal is to have a smoother day tomorrow and continue learning about the W17.

Haas
Esteban Ocon

• 4th at 0.909 s, 115 rpm

“It was a good day for us. In total, we completed over 100 laps, which is quite solid, and we learned a lot about many things. We're making the car more consistent, as we want, and faster than in Barcelona, ​​which is positive. I wish Ollie and the team a great day tomorrow; I hope they can be as productive as we were today.”

Alpine
Franco Colapinto

• 18th at 5.661 s, 28 rpm

“My morning wasn’t smooth, and a few issues cut short a large part of our planned program. These things happen in testing, especially with a new car, and it’s important that we learn from them and find solutions. Pierre was able to complete a good number of laps in the afternoon, which gives us a lot to analyze. I hope we can have a productive day and rack up more mileage when I get back on track on Friday. It will be interesting to push a bit with the car while continuing its development in Bahrain. I look forward to working with the team tomorrow, closely monitoring the situation, and getting back behind the wheel later in the week.”

Steve Nielsen

• General Manager

“We faced some challenges on this first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Issues with the car forced us to make several pit stops in the morning to implement various fixes. This is part of the process with a completely new car, and it’s essential to resolve them quickly and take steps to prevent them from recurring. This is inherent to testing, and it’s important to see a positive reaction from the entire team, including the drivers, to these setbacks. We responded well by addressing some of the morning’s problems, and we had a slightly more productive session in the afternoon with Pierre. The goal is to return tomorrow with Pierre at the wheel for the entire day to accumulate laps and mileage while continuing our learning and the development of the package.”

Audi
Gabriel Bortoleto

• 15th at 4.202 s, 49 rpm

“It was a day of progress for us. We managed to accumulate good mileage this morning, and everything worked as expected, which is really encouraging. We focused on stringing together laps to better understand the engine and energy management, especially in conditions very different from those encountered in Barcelona. There is still a lot of work to do, and we know it's a long road ahead, but we are moving forward step by step and we will continue to push.”

Nico Hulkenberg

• 9th at 2.192 s, 73 rpm

“Overall, it was a productive start for me during these test days. We got in a lot of laps and collected a lot of useful data—exactly what we’re here for. Bahrain is a very different circuit from Barcelona, ​​which brought new challenges and highlighted areas where we need to focus. There’s a lot to analyze, but the direction is clear. I have two more days behind the wheel, so we’ll continue to make progress from here.”