Lando Norris topped the timesheets on the opening day of pre-season F1 testing in Bahrain on Wednesday, though Max Verstappen and Red Bull impressed with strong pace and impressive mileage.

Norris set a best lap of 1:34.669 in McLaren’s new MCL40, just 0.129 seconds quicker than Verstappen, who had been fastest during the first half of the day in his RB22. Verstappen completed 136 laps, while McLaren’s combined total was 112 laps, with Oscar Piastri adding 54 in the morning session.

“They [Red Bull] are able to deploy far more energy on the straights than everyone else—about a second per lap over consecutive laps,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. “As of today, on the first official day of testing, they’ve set the benchmark.”

This season, Red Bull are running their own engine following their split from Honda. McLaren, powered by Mercedes, focused on aerodynamic data rather than outright speed or mileage to better understand the car’s operating window.

“Positive day, lots learned, and looking forward to getting back in the car tomorrow,” said Norris. Piastri added that everything had gone smoothly and he felt more comfortable with the car.

Charles Leclerc was third on the timing screens for Ferrari, ahead of Haas’s Esteban Ocon (115 laps) and Piastri. George Russell was sixth for Mercedes, while Aston Martin faced setbacks—Kimi Antonelli had an issue in the afternoon and the AMR26 missed a later stint. Lance Stroll completed 36 laps before a Honda power-unit data anomaly halted his running.

Williams made up lost ground with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon completing 145 laps after missing the pre-season shakedown in Barcelona. Team principal James Vowles said: “Our goal was to get the mileage needed to understand the chassis and power unit, flush out gremlins, and build a strong foundation for performance over the next three days.”

Newcomers Cadillac logged 107 laps, Sergio Perez finished 14th of 18 drivers, and Nico Hulkenberg was ninth fastest for Audi (formerly Sauber) with 73 laps.