Norris Leads Bahrain Test but McLaren Race Pace Trails Rivals

McLaren arrived at Bahrain pre-season testing with a stark contrast between single-lap pace and race-distance concerns. Lando Norris set the session benchmark with a 1:33.453 lap, edging George Russell by 0.006s and Max Verstappen by 0.131s, while teammate Oscar Piastri also showed strong one-lap speed. Reports varied on the tire compound used for Norris’s flyer (sources cited C3 and C4). Most teams, including McLaren, spent the latter part of the test on race simulations and systems checks rather than chasing outright lap times, and no driver improved on the fastest marks in the second half of the session.

Despite the single-lap headline, McLaren’s long-run work was notably less convincing. Team feedback and testing programs — including extended race-distance stints — pointed to a missing technical or set-up characteristic compared with the 2025 car, a shortfall Norris said has given rivals an edge. Independent timing analysis of comparable simulations (runs by Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri) suggested McLaren may be roughly one second a lap slower in race pace than Mercedes and Ferrari; those same windows also showed Red Bull and Max Verstappen looking strong. If that gap holds into the Australian season opener, McLaren risks starting as low as fourth on the grid, a scenario that could jeopardize its bid to retain both World Championship titles.

The test also delivered early technical signals from other teams: Ferrari debuted a 180° rotating rear wing under the new active-aero rules (reports said it reverted to a standard position under braking) but largely stayed off track and returned late for standing-start practice. Reliability checks dominated the program — Lewis Hamilton was limited to five laps by a chassis issue before returning to complete FIA systems checks and practice starts — and one more round of Bahrain running remains before the Australian Grand Prix, giving McLaren another opportunity to close the observed race-pace gap.