Max Verstappen’s stellar performance during F1’s 2024 Testing Day 1 has fans anticipating yet another one-sided Formula One campaign on the radar.
As the motorsport community eagerly awaits the start of the 2024 F1 season, teams and drivers continue to gear up. With the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix just days away, teams descended upon the Bahrain International Circuit for the inaugural testing session of the 2024 season.
Reigning three-time F1 Drivers’ champion Max Verstappen piloted his Red Bull Racing RB20 to a staggering performance, finishing over a full second faster than his closest competitor, Lando Norris of McLaren.
Verstappen, who dominated the entire grid last season, winning a record 19 out of 22 races, clocked a blistering lap time of 1:31.344. The Dutchman completed a remarkable 143 laps around the Bahrain circuit, surpassing the distance of more than two Bahrain Grand Prix races.
Following the testing, pictures surfaced online of Max Verstappen‘s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase cheekily smirking as Verstappen extended his lead over the competition.
Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to Lambiase’s reaction. One user commented:
“That’s an evil laugh.”
“Max obliterating everybody. Man, that’s nasty.”
A third fan sarcastically suggested fast-forwarding to the 2025 season, perhaps resigned to the inevitability of Verstappen’s continued dominance:
“Let’s move to 2025 guys.”
Here are some more fan reactions to Verstappen’s mighty fast drive during F1 Testing Day 1 in Bahrain:
How does the leaderboard look like following Max Verstappen’s dominance in F1 Testing Day 1?
Verstappen led the testing day ahead of McLaren’s standout performer from the previous campaign, Lando Norris. The Brit was followed by the soon-to-depart Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, who completed a total of 69 laps.
Below is the leaderboard for the first testing day in Bahrain:
1. Max Verstappen – 1:31.344 – 143 laps
2. Lando Norris – +1.140 – 73 laps
3. Carlos Sainz – +1.240 – 69 laps
4. Daniel Ricciardo – +1.255 – 52 laps
5. Pierre Gasly – +1.461 – 61 laps
6. Lance Stroll – +1.663 – 54 laps
7. Charles Leclerc – +1.903 – 64 laps
8. Fernando Alonso – +2.041 – 77 laps
9. Oscar Piastri – +2.314 – 57 laps
10. Guanyu Zhou – +2.527 – 63 laps
11. Logan Sargeant – +2.538 – 21 laps
12. George Russell – +2.765 – 122 laps
13. Yuki Tsunoda – +2.792 – 64 laps
14. Valtteri Bottas – +3.087 – 68 laps
15. Alex Albon – +3.243 – 40 laps
16. Esteban Ocon – +3.333 – 60 laps
17. Kevin Magnussen – +4.348 – 66 laps
18. Nico Hulkenberg – +4.562 – 82 laps.
