Formula 1: Liam Lawson endures mixed morning for Red Bull on opening day of Bahrain testing

In his first official outing in Red Bull’s RB21, Liam Lawson endured a mixed morning on the first day of Formula One’s pre-season testing in Bahrain.

As the first Red Bull driver to take to the track in this year’s testing, Lawson got through 58 laps at Sakhir’s Bahrain International Circuit, having earlier driven the car as part of his side’s promotional duties.

In fact, driving for as long as he did over the four-hour session saw Lawson complete a greater distance than that of the Bahrain Grand Prix, 57 laps.

The Kiwi posted the opening session’s second-fastest time, crossing the line in 1m 31.560s, 0.132s behind Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli.

Lawson made way for teammate Max Verstappen in the day’s second four-hour session, but will get the entirety of day two behind the wheel to get a feel for Red Bull’s new car, as preparation for the season opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 16.

With Lawson’s comparison to Verstappen dominating discourse of his promotion to Red Bull’s senior team at the end of last year, the Kiwi did at times appear in control of a car that has become notoriously difficult to drive.

It didn’t all go Lawson’s way, as the Kiwi briefly lost control and spun at turn three, but managed to keep his car out of the gravel with just under an hour left in the session, to give his critics ammunition in arguing the 23-year-old is too inexperienced to be in the position he is.

However, Lawson can take solace from the fact his teammate suffered a similar spin at the same point of the 2020 season.

Elsewhere, just how much can be taken from testing is still to be seen.

Given the Formula One championship doesn’t begin until March, teams are often known to hold back in pre-season, in order to avoid giving their rivals any indication as to where they truly stand and set a benchmark before the season begins.

Instead, teams test a number of different things, including tyres, fuel loads and aerodynamic configurations.

Neither McLaren nor Ferrari were able to hit the heights that saw them finish first and second respectively in the 2024 Formula One championship, as Oscar Piastri (eighth) and Lewis Hamilton (fifth) finished outside the top three.

In fact, of all 10 drivers to take part in the morning session, eight finished within a second of Antonelli, with only Haas’ Ollie Bearman failing to match the other cars on track - and finished more than four seconds off the pace.

Hamilton at one point appeared on course to better Antonelli’s time, but slowed coming around the final corner to keep his Ferrari’s full capabilities hidden for a while longer at least.

Verstappen will take part in the first day’s second session overnight on Wednesday, with all 10 teams opting to give both drivers time behind the wheel on day one.

How the two drivers compare will be key for Lawson, who has been set the target of being within three-tenths-of-a-second per lap behind Verstappen by Red Bull adviser Dr Helmut Marko.

The four-time world champion will also have the entirety of the third day to test, as he bids to win a fifth title in as many years over the course of the coming season.

Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.