McLaren's Lando Norris set the fastest time on the opening day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, edging out Max Verstappen by 0.129 seconds. The British driver's best lap of 1m34.669s came in the afternoon session after teammate Oscar Piastri had laid the groundwork with a morning run.

Piastri completed 54 laps early in the day, setting a benchmark time of 1m35.602s before handing the MCL40 over to Norris. While Norris claimed the top spot, Verstappen's Red Bull covered more total mileage, suggesting different testing strategies between the teams. The timesheets showed Norris ahead of Verstappen, with other teams still completing their installation laps as the day wound down.

The early pace from McLaren signals potential competitiveness after a challenging 2024 season. With Norris and Piastri showcasing speed on day one, McLaren appears to have made significant strides with their new car design. The test continues through the week, giving teams more opportunities to refine setups and evaluate reliability ahead of the season opener.