Mechanics with flashlights: there is a power cut on the first day of testing. The world championship runner-up does not let this slow him down. And what does the world champion do?
26.02.2025, 18:52
26.02.2025, 18:54
dpa
Challenger Lando Norris did not let a power failure stop him and beat world champion Max Verstappen in the first test of strength before the Formula 1 season opener. The Briton set the fastest lap at the start of the three-day test on the Sakhir desert circuit. The 25-year-old runner-up relegated his British compatriot George Russell to second place.
The 27-year-old was 0.157 seconds slower in the new Mercedes than Norris in the new McLaren. Max Verstappen, who, like Norris and Russell, was on the afternoon session and therefore also affected by a power failure on the track, finished third. This had led to an interruption, so the session was extended by an hour.
The defending champion and four-time world champion was 0.244 seconds off first place in the Red Bull. Charles Leclerc (0.448), who had taken over the new Ferrari from his new team-mate Lewis Hamilton after the lunch break, finished fourth.
Teenager Antonelli fastest in the morning
The 40-year-old record champion from England was unable to finish higher than 13th in the final standings. Hamilton was almost one and a half seconds behind the leader and just under a second behind his Monegasque team-mate.
In the morning, Russell's new and just 18-year-old team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli had topped the results list after the first laps and hours of testing. The Italian had relegated the New Zealand Red Bull driver Liam Lawson to second place, with Alexander Albon in the Williams in third.
However, times and placings on the test days are only of very limited significance. The teams and drivers complete different programs. In addition, the conditions change over the course of the day, although it was cooler than expected overall.
Season opener on March 16 in Melbourne
Nico Hülkenberg, who has been driving for Sauber again this year and thus the designated Audi team (from 2026), finished 18th among the 20 drivers. According to Motorsport-Magazin, the Rhineland native had a particle fly into his eye, forcing him to end his morning session half an hour early. However, nothing should stand in the way of his driving on Thursday.
The tests continue this Thursday and Friday. The season starts on March 16 with the Bahrain Grand Prix and will run for a total of 24 Grand Prix races. As the rules have hardly changed and the teams are building heavily on last season's models, a closely contested race for the world championship is expected.
