World champion Lando Norris put McLaren on top of the times as pre-season testing resumes in Bahrain on Wednesday.

But while 10 of the 11 teams covered more than a grand prix distance, and several managed two, Aston Martin had a less productive day. Lance Stroll had only covered 33 laps by the mid-session break and managed just three more by the time the chequered flag fell. The team said Honda spotted a “data anomaly” relating to its power unit which limited their running.

Most teams opted to split their running between two different drivers. Aston Martin was one of the exceptions while another, Red Bull, ended the day second on the times sheets. Max Verstappen was just a tenth of a second off Norris’s time and covered the most laps of any single driver.

Norris’s session-topping time of 1’34.669 was within five seconds of his team mate’s pole-winning time from the previous season. Oscar Piastri ran in the morning before handing over to Norris and ended up fifth in the times.

Pictures: Pre-season test two, day one

Charles Leclerc was half a second off Norris’s best in his Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton drove in the morning and had a minor spin at turn one when his car swapped ends on him.

Aston Martin wasn’t the only team to miss out on some of the available running time. Andrea Kimi Antonelli spent over two hours in the Mercedes garage after the team discovered a suspension problem on their W17.

Pierre Gasly was eighth for Alpine after taking over from Franco Colapinto, who caused a red flag when his car stopped during the first part of the day. Nico Hulkenberg put Audi in ninth place, two seconds off Norris, as the team revealed a striking sidepod update to its R26. The best time for newcomers Cadillac, set by Sergio Perez, left them four seconds adrift.

Bahrain test one, day one results

Pos. Car number Driver Team Model Best time Gap Laps
1 1 Lando Norris McLaren MCL40 1’34.669 58
2 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull RB22 1’34.798 0.129 136
3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF-26 1’35.190 0.521 79
4 31 Esteban Ocon Haas VF-26 1’35.578 0.909 115
5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren MCL40 1’35.602 0.933 54
6 63 George Russell Mercedes W17 1’36.108 1.439 56
7 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari SF-26 1’36.433 1.764 52
8 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine A526 1’36.765 2.096 49
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi R26 1’36.861 2.192 73
10 23 Alexander Albon Williams FW48 1’37.437 2.768 68
11 12 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes W17 1’37.629 2.960 30
12 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 03 1’37.945 3.276 75
13 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr Williams FW48 1’38.221 3.552 77
14 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1’38.828 4.159 58
15 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi R26 1’38.871 4.202 49
16 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1’39.150 4.481 49
17 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR26 1’39.883 5.214 36
18 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine A526 1’40.330 5.661 28

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