Red Bull in trouble as issue causes Bahrain testing d…read more
Red Bull’s pre-season preparations in Bahrain hit an unexpected setback on the second day of Formula 1 testing after a technical fault significantly delayed their running, overshadowing what had been a strong and promising start just 24 hours earlier.
The Milton Keynes-based team arrived at the Bahrain International Circuit looking sharp and competitive on day one of official pre-season testing. Max Verstappen handled all the driving duties on Wednesday and quickly demonstrated the car’s early potential. The reigning world champion topped the timesheets during the morning session and looked comfortable in the new machine. However, by the end of the afternoon session, McLaren’s Lando Norris edged ahead to claim the fastest overall time of the day, pushing Verstappen down to second. Even so, Red Bull’s overall performance suggested they were in solid shape heading into day two.
Thursday’s running, however, did not begin as planned. Verstappen handed over driving responsibilities to new team-mate Isack Hadjar, who was scheduled to make his official pre-season testing debut for the senior Red Bull squad. Expectations were high as the young driver prepared for his first extended outing with the team. But as the morning session got underway, it quickly became clear that something was wrong.
More than an hour into the session, reports indicated that Hadjar had still not left the garage. According to pit-lane updates, Red Bull engineers discovered a hydraulics leak during overnight assembly and inspection work on the car. The issue forced the team into urgent repair mode and prevented Hadjar from getting out on track as scheduled. Mechanics were seen working intensely in the garage while valuable testing time ticked away.
Initial projections suggested the delay could last several hours, potentially ruling Hadjar out of the entire morning session. As the clock passed mid-morning, timing screens continued to show zero laps completed for the Red Bull driver. Observers described it as a difficult and frustrating start to the day for the reigning champions, especially given how crucial pre-season testing is for gathering data, validating reliability, and allowing drivers to build confidence.
By around 8:35am GMT, the situation had not improved, with Hadjar still stuck in the garage while rival teams continued to log laps and collect performance information. The lack of track time was particularly costly for a rookie driver who needs as much seat time as possible to adapt to car behavior, systems, and procedures.
Near the very end of the morning window, Hadjar finally managed to take the car out for a single installation lap — a slow, basic run primarily used to verify that key systems are functioning correctly. He returned straight to the pits afterward without beginning a proper timed run. While limited, that brief outing signaled that the hydraulic fault had likely been addressed. The team later prepared the car for more meaningful running in the afternoon session, indicating that the core problem had been resolved.
Red Bull were not the only front-running team to encounter trouble. Mercedes also experienced disruption to their program on the same morning. Young driver Kimi Antonelli completed only a handful of laps — three in total — and did not set a representative time before returning to the garage. Reports suggested Mercedes were dealing with their own technical complications, further highlighting the reliability challenges teams often face during early test phases.
Pre-season testing is designed to expose exactly these kinds of weaknesses before the competitive season begins. While such issues can be concerning, they are not uncommon, and teams typically prefer discovering faults now rather than during race weekends.
Despite the delay, Red Bull remain cautiously optimistic that the setback will have only a minor impact on their broader testing objectives. With additional sessions still available, the team will aim to recover lost time and continue evaluating performance, setup options, and long-run reliability before the season opener.
