Norris warns of challenging F1 track for McLaren at Bahrain Grand Prix

Bahrain, April 11: After a setback at the Japanese Grand Prix, McLaren is hoping to get back on top of Formula 1 in Bahrain this week.
Oscar Piastri thinks the desert heat could make it a “friendly” track for McLaren – which has never won in Bahrain – but his teammate Lando Norris is predicting a “trickier weekend.” Max Verstappen gave his title defense a big boost with his win in Japan last week but needed a stunning lap in qualifying to take pole position before holding off Norris and Piastri for the entire race.
Norris fastest in first practice
Norris’ pessimism about the Bahrain track wasn’t reflected in first practice where he was fastest by .238 seconds from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Lewis Hamilton was third-fastest for Ferrari, .596 off Norris’ time, after earlier reporting his car was “not working at all.” Piastri was 10th.
The times likely aren’t representative of teams’ true pace, given the first session was during the day and the race is at night. There were also six unfamiliar names taking part as teams rested their usual drivers – who know Bahrain from preseason testing – because of a rule requiring teams to give track time to rookies during the season.
Norris had said Thursday that low-speed corners in Bahrain could work against McLaren.
“We still know that’s one of our weaker areas, so I’m not expecting bad things, I’m just expecting a trickier weekend than the last few,” said Norris, who leads Verstappen by one point in the standings.
Piastri predicted the Bahrain desert should suit McLaren’s car, whose relatively low tire wear could give the team an edge, but warned “it doesn’t take much to go wrong for us to not be at the front.”
“I think it being a little bit more difficult on tires and a bit warmer probably will be more friendly for us than others,” said Piastri, who won the Chinese Grand Prix last month.
At Ferrari, seven-time champion Hamilton is looking to improve on a disappointing seventh place in Japan, while Verstappen’s new teammate Yuki Tsunoda needs a top-10 finish after he missed the points on his Red Bull debut at home. He was ninth in Friday’s first practice.
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli placed last because of a car problem which limited his time on track.
Future plans and present battles
The president of F1’s governing body, the FIA, is pushing a plan which could transform the sport, but his way of running things has stirred up opposition.
The FIA is reportedly meeting in Bahrain with representatives of F1’s engine manufacturers after FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem floated the idea of bringing back “the roaring sound of the V10 (engine) running on sustainable fuel.”
That would be a big change from F1’s current V6 turbo hybrid engines and the new generation of hybrid engines that manufacturers have committed to for next year. Getting their agreement seems unlikely.
“I wouldn’t be too vocal supporting the comeback of a V10 engine if I liked what I see from 2026,” Williams driver Carlos Sainz, Jr. said. “Everyone seems to believe that (the 2026 rules) are not so good any more.”
The last time V10s were standard on the F1 grid was 20 years ago and they’re almost non-existent in modern road cars. The 24-year-old Piastri said he doesn’t have “quite the same nostalgia” as older drivers and warned the debate could hurt F1’s image.
“We just need to be a bit careful and not downplay what we’re going to have for the next few years to come,” he said.
Ben Sulayem is up for re-election this year and has vocal critics. His deputy president for sport and one-time ally, Robert Reid, resigned Thursday in protest at how the FIA is run.
F1 drivers are also pushing back on Ben Sulayem’s efforts to police their behavior. Sainz defied an FIA rule against swearing Thursday as he protested being fined for lateness. (AP)