Lando Norris ended the second morning of Bahrain’s final pre‑season test on top, producing the quickest lap of the session with a 1:33.453 while completing a strong 72‑lap run.
His pace put him just over a tenth clear of Max Verstappen, who recorded a time 0.131 seconds slower and logged 56 laps during his return to the cockpit.
George Russell followed in third place, finishing 0.658 seconds off Norris but covering the most ground among the leading trio with an impressive 77 laps, giving Mercedes a substantial haul of data from the morning session.
Alexander Albon continued Williams’ productive testing rhythm by setting a lap 1.677 seconds off the benchmark and completing 71 laps, while Haas rookie Oliver Bearman delivered another high‑mileage outing with 69 laps and a time 1.826 seconds adrift. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto slotted in just behind them, ending his morning 2.053 seconds down after turning 54 laps.
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson both endured longer spells in the garage, which limited their running to 29 laps and 27 laps respectively. Their lap times reflected the reduced track time, with Bortoleto finishing 1.810 seconds off the pace and Lawson 3.506 seconds behind Norris.
Fernando Alonso also fell short of a full race distance, completing 34 laps and ending the session 4.019 seconds down. At Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton managed only 5 laps after early issues curtailed his programme, leaving him 6.217 seconds off the fastest time.
Valtteri Bottas rounded out the classification for Cadillac, finishing 6.740 seconds behind Norris. Despite the team spending the opening hour in the garage, Bottas still completed 58 laps, giving the newcomers a meaningful dataset to work with ahead of the afternoon running.
