F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain – day three: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri among drivers on track

Lorraine McKenna
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Hello, folks. We’ve reached the last day of this first week of testing in Bahrain and drivers are starting to give their first impressions of the new era of regulations in Formula 1.

Four-time title winner Max Verstappen and reigning world champion Lando Norris are on different sides of the fence when it comes to how the 2026 cars handle. Verstappen thinks they’re “like Formula E on steroids”, while Norris countered that by saying the cars are “a lot of fun”.

The comments come a day after seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton said the new rules this year make Formula 1 “ridiculously complex” and “none of the fans are going to understand it”.

Image source, Getty Images

Add into the mix Lance Stroll feeling like Aston Martin, with a car designed by the legendary Adrian Newey, are four seconds off the pace, and it’s all kicking off in Sakhir.

Yesterday saw Charles Leclerc top the timesheets for Ferrari, banking a load of laps in the process and clocking a time of 1:34.273. Norris was second in the McLaren followed by Brits Ollie Bearman for Haas and the Mercedes of George Russell.