The first of practice in Bahrain saw a very strong McLaren, followed closely by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in qualifying simulations. Norris and Piastri seemed to have a clear advantage in race pace simulations,

“Perfection, just perfection, Max,” was the succinct summary of Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, a cool character not usually prone to such hyperbole. It spoke volumes of the result that Verstappen had delivered on Sunday.

Following a week-long break, the Formula 1 circuit moves to Suzuka, Japan, for the third race of the 2025 season, the Japanese Grand Prix, which will be held on Sunday, April 6. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri emerged as the winner in Shanghai,