F1 Testing: Norris sets Bahrain pace as Hamilton unveils Ferrari’s radical rear wing

Lando Norris set the pace on the penultimate morning at the Bahrain International Circuit, but it was Ferrari’s new rear wing design that caught the eye.

It, however, was not a good morning for the Scuderia as Lewis Hamilton completed just five laps before returning to the garage, his SF-26’s sidepods removed before the screens went up. He was back on track at the end of the morning for a practice start on the grid.

Lando Norris fastest in Bahrain as Lewis Hamilton debuts Ferrari rear wing

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Max Verstappen set the early pace, a 1:38.955 on the medium Pirellis ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Liam Lawson.

As more drivers ventured out, George Russell hit the front, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto and then Lando Norris. The reigning world champion lowered the benchmark time to a 1:35.406 before upping his pace to a 1:33.453.

That put him 0.131s ahead of Verstappen, with Alex Albon third fastest.

Lewis Hamilton completed just five laps in the first hour before venturing back into the Ferrari garage with screens going up.

However, his brief run in the SF-26 was one of the big topics of the morning as the Briton debuted Ferrari’s new rear design and its intriguing active aerodynamics.

The SF-26 sported a rear wing that used a reverse system to Ferrari’s rivals when the aero was activated. The wing rotated fully upside down on the straights. In effect, the upper flap performs a full rotation.

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Hamilton wasn’t the only driver stuck in the garage, as there was no sign of Cadillac in the early running with Valtteri Bottas in the pits due to an undisclosed issue.

The Finn did venture out for two laps in the second hour, only to return to the garage, but was back out on track to bring his tally to four. Norris’ time remained the benchmark.

Norris’ 1:33.453 remained the time to beat heading into the final hour on a morning that once again saw the drivers struggling with the downforce of the new cars and a lack of grip.

The session ended with an FIA-mandated start test, the drivers lining up on the grid to practice starts as motorsport’s governing body sought to gather more data on the start issues many of the teams have been facing.

Hamilton rejoined the action for that, giving everyone at the track another view of Ferrari’s rear wing.

McLaren’s Norris finished P1 with a 1:33.4 53, 0.131s faster than Verstappen with Russell half a second off the pace. Norris’ time was the fastest of the Bahrain tests to date. Russell completed the most laps at 77.

F1 Testing: Bahrain Day Two Morning Times

1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:33.453 72 laps
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:33584 56 laps
3 George Russell Mercedes 1:34.111 77 laps
4 Alex Albon Williams 1:35.130 71 laps
5 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:35.279 29 laps
6 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:35.506 69 laps
7 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:35.741 54 laps
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:36:959 27 laps
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:37.472 40 laps
10 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:39.670 5 laps
11 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:40.193 58 laps

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