Summary

  • Final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain

  • Max Verstappen improves lap time to go quickest once again

  • Ferrari's Charles Leclerc tops morning running

  • Broken glass on start-finish line and bus in run-off area cause red flags

  • Oliver Bearman forced to pit after losing part of Haas engine cover

  • Verstappen in car all day for Red Bull

  • Season-opening Australian Grand Prix takes place 14-16 March

  • Get involved: #BBCF1

Live Reporting

Tasnim Chowdhury

  1. New nose on the Red Bull

    Chris Medland
    F1 journalist in Bahrain

    Red BullBBC Sport

    The final day of testing tends to be when upgrades are introduced, and teams run something closer to their Melbourne race packages.

    Doing so allows them to understand the impact an update will have on the car, which can then prove whether they have the right development plans in place for the year ahead or need to address anything. It also has the added bonus of hiding any innovative solutions from competitors until as late as possible.

    As one example, there’s a new nose on the Red Bull today, which is connected to the second element on the front wing (see the small gap below the tip of the nose), rather than the very lowest element as was the case with the launch specification.

  2. Lando Norris is back in the McLaren garage and hops out of his car.

    He has completed 57 laps, a race length at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

  3. Under 30 minutes to go.

    Everyone is out on the race track apart from Isack Hadjar.

    Max Verstappen makes his way past Oliver Bearman.

  4. What has happened so far?

    • Charles Leclerc has set the fastest lap time in the Ferrari.
    • Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has completed 60 laps.
    • Oliver Bearman had to pit after losing part of Haas engine cover
    • Session had been red flagged because of broken glass on start-finish line.

  5. It's like a race start with most cars heading back onto the track.

    Lando Norris has just set an overall fast time on sector one.

  6. Go! Go! Go!

    The debris has been cleaned up and session has now resumed.

  7. Clean up required

    Chris Medland
    F1 journalist in Bahrain

    Apparently it’s a pane of glass from the starters box, so that will need clearing up quickly.

    Broken glassChris Medland

  8. Morning session times

    1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:30.811

    2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.077

    3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.132

    4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.398

    5. Jack Doohan (Alpine) +0.428

    6. Alex Albon (Williams) +0.633

    7. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.950

    8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1.273

    9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +1.414

    10. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1.550

  9. Drivers are back in their garages, while the glass is being swept up. While we wait to get going again, let's have a look at the lap times.

  10. It looks like a window has shattered in the box where the chequered flag is waved.

    I think we've seen it all in this pre-season testing.

  11. red flag

    Red flag

    There's a red flag being waved, there's debris that has fallen from the start finish box.

  12. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is racing down the track, he is in a spot of traffic but overtakes Alex Albon.

    A little bit of practice for the rookie ahead of his first F1 season.

  13. Under an hour left of morning testing.

    Eight drivers will be passing on the duties to their teammates.

    Alex Albon and Max Verstappen will be running testing for the full day.

  14. Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has been busy putting in the laps. He's very close to completing a race length.

    Isack HadjarGetty Images

  15. Max Verstappen's Red Bull has been popped up on a high stand and there are engineers around the car.

    Verstappen is stood beside his car, looking ready to head out.

  16. Ferrari chairman Elkann in Bahrain

    Chris Medland
    F1 journalist in Bahrain

    John Elkann and Fred VasseurGetty Images

    Ferrari chairman John Elkann made a rare appearance at testing yesterday, and was in the race control building for a spell before he walked into the Ferrari garage to chat with Lewis Hamilton. That came during a lull in running due to this morning's rain, so Hamilton was out of the car for a while. Elkann recommended a book he's reading to his new driver, with Hamilton saying their relationship is based more on "normal life stuff" than shared racing interests.

    According to Italian media, Elkann has only made one other visit to pre-season testing in the past seven years, but this is a well-timed trip. The hype surrounding Hamilton has been enormous, and Ferrari are also very much targeting championships after the strong second half of 2024 they had.

    The early signs for the new Hamilton-Ferrari partnership have been encouraging, with the seven-time world champion saying he is enjoying driving the car so far, as he started to push its limits a little bit more this morning. Hamilton says he's confident there is plenty more potential in the car to explore, too.

  17. Lots of bright green flow-vis paint sprayed onto the front left of Jack Doohan's car.

    The way the paint flows down the car will help the team understand airflow.

  18. Another pitstop practice, this time for Ferrari.

    Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are the only drivers out on track.

  19. Laps completed

    Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 36

    Alex Albon (Williams) - 38

    Lando Norris (McLaren) - 41

    Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 40

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 32

    Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 31

    Jack Doohan (Alpine) - 44

    Oliver Bearman (Haas) - 30

    Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 44

    Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) - 22

  20. A pitstop practice for the Red Bull team before they wheel Max Verstappen back into the garage.

    Isack Hadjar has popped his helmet back on and will be getting ready to head back out to the track.