Lando Norris topped the Wednesday afternoon session of pre-season testing in Bahrain with a time of 1:30.430, showing promising early pace for McLaren. Just 0.157s behind, George Russell placed second for Mercedes, indicating potential improvements from last season.

Max Verstappen was third, 0.244s off the pace, as Red Bull focused on gathering data rather than chasing lap times. Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari, 0.448s adrift, in what appeared to be a steady, controlled session for the Scuderia.

A surprise in fifth was Carlos Sainz in the Williams, just over half a second behind Norris, suggesting that the team may have made significant strides over the winter.

Pierre Gasly placed sixth for Alpine, nearly a full second off the lead, as the team worked through its testing program without chasing outright speed. Isack Hadjar impressed in seventh for Racing Bulls, 1.201s off the fastest time, gaining valuable experience in his first official F1 test session.

Sauber's rookie Gabriel Bortoleto followed closely in eighth, just 0.059s behind Hadjar, showing a solid first outing in the C44. Lance Stroll finished ninth for Aston Martin, 1.519s off Norris' benchmark, in what seemed to be a low-profile session for the team.

Esteban Ocon rounded out the field in tenth for Haas, over three seconds off the pace, as the team focused more on gathering data than outright performance.

The session ran smoothly with teams focusing on their testing programs until a power outage briefly disrupted proceedings, adding a bit of a twist to the afternoon. All teams continue tommorow during the same hours as today, hopefully with no disruption this time.

AFTERNOON TIMESHEET: