Max Verstappen was fastest in practice for Formula One’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday as his Red Bull team immediately lived up to expectations that have soared since testing.
The Dutch youngster, who also topped the timesheets two weeks ago at the same Sakhir circuit with a Honda-powered car that looked stable and quick, set a best time of one minute 31.394 seconds in the afternoon and 1:30.847 in the evening.
Four teams — Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari — were within four tenths of a second in the more representative second practice with Mercedes-powered McLaren’s Lando Norris second and 0.095 slower.
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was third for Mercedes in 1:31.082.
“It’s been alright. A good feeling in the car,” said Verstappen, who won the last race of 2020 in Abu Dhabi. “Overall I’m pretty happy.
“I still expect Mercedes to be the strongest Mercedes-powered car.”
Valtteri Bottas, who has won the opening race of the championship for the past two years, was second fastest in that session but fifth in the later one when he complained the car was ‘undriveable’ at the end of his last long run.
Reuters
The increased use of AI by euro zone companies could curb workers' ability to demand higher wages while heavy investment into the new technology may be materially tightening financing c...
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Vietnam are set to sign a free trade deal on Sunday, officials said this week, after long-stalled talks were relaunched last year amid glob...
Morning Briefing
PN to elect two deputy leaders and finalise statute by January
Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg expects the party to elect two deputy leaders within the next fou...
Updated 1130
Abela Pledges Continued Investment in Welfare, Pensions and Youth in Budget 2027: Prime Minister Robert Abela has pledged continued investment in social welfare, pensions...
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
GO plc, has released the Q2 2026 edition of GO Trends, its data intelligence report on how international visitors move around the Maltese islands. Building on the full-year 2025 report p...
Accountants have a duty to protect public trust, MIA says
The Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA) has welcomed 168 new members, bringing its total membership to just over 4,500 profe...
What began last year as a blood donation initiative involving six companies is expanding into a broader corporate effort, with three additional companies joining this...
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving up the boardroom agenda, raising an important question for non-executive directors: are boards equipped to oversee the transformation AI is brin...
GO plc, has released the Q2 2026 edition of GO Trends, its data intelligence report on how international visitors move around the Maltese islands. Building on the full-year 2025 report p...
Accountants have a duty to protect public trust, MIA says
The Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA) has welcomed 168 new members, bringing its total membership to just over 4,500 profe...
Fears of renewed escalation gripped the Middle East on Wednesday after the United States and Iran exchanged their biggest barrage since July, with Washington striking Iran's southern co...
President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he had called off planned U.S. strikes on Iran, saying renewed negotiations had raised hopes of easing the conflict and reopening ship...
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
Ukrainian drones hit Russia's biggest data centre, owned by the country's largest bank and technology company, Sberbank, but did not disrupt its operations, a senior company executive ...
The United Kingdom, Germany and Poland have reaffirmed their support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after U.S. President Donald Trump said the country needed a new leader.
...
