Pirelli report from Bahrain after Day 1 of Formula 1 preseason testing
F1 NewsThursday, 12 February 2026 at 07:30
Lando Norris led the way on day 1 of Formula 1 pre season testing in Sakhir as teams began their six day programme ahead of the season opening race in Melbourne on 8 March.
The McLaren driver set a best time of 1:34.669 to top the timesheets, as 18 drivers took to the track in significantly warmer conditions than 12 months ago.
Air temperatures ranged between 25 and 32°C across the 8 hours of running, with track temperatures peaking at 43°C.
That marked a sharp contrast to last year in Bahrain, when the mercury did not exceed 15°C.
In total, 6,183 kilometres were completed on day 1.
C3 the tyre of choice in Sakhir heat
For this opening test, teams were restricted to the three hardest slick compounds in the Pirelli range, C1, C2 and C3, along with 1 set of Intermediates per car in case of wet conditions.
The C3 proved the most popular choice, accounting for 53% of all laps. A total of 603 laps were completed on the C3, covering 3,262 kilometres.
The C2 was used for 382 laps, equating to 2,067 kilometres and 33% of the running, while the C1 completed 156 laps for 844 kilometres, representing 14%.
Only 1 driver sampled the Intermediate tyre. Esteban Ocon fitted the green banded rubber for 2 installation laps at the start of the session in the Haas.
Across the field, 11 sets of C1, 29 sets of C2 and 40 sets of C3 were used.
Verstappen and Perez rack up long runs
Sergio Perez logged the longest single stint on the hardest compound, completing 30 consecutive laps on C1 for Cadillac.
On C2, Max Verstappen produced the longest run with 31 laps for Red Bull Racing, while Ocon managed a 25 lap stint on C3.
Eight different teams featured inside the top 10 on the timesheets, underlining the spread of programmes on day 1.
Behind Norris, Verstappen was 0.129 seconds adrift on the softer C3 compound. Charles Leclerc was 0.521 seconds off the benchmark in his Ferrari, also on C3 rubber.
Verstappen also set the fastest time on the C1 tyre, posting a 1:35.631.
Four drivers did not take part in the opening day of running. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Haas' Oliver Bearman remained on the sidelines.
Testing resumes tomorrow and Friday, with track action scheduled from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00 local time as teams continue to build mileage ahead of the opening round in Australia.
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