SAKHIR, Bahrain: Two-time champion Fernando Alonso continued to set the pace at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday when he outpaced Max Verstappen in an intriguing third and final practice.
The 41-year-old Spaniard, revelling in the performance of his vastly-improved Aston Martin car, clocked a best lap of 1 minute 32.340 seconds to edge Red Bull’s two-time defending world champion by 0.005 seconds.
The Dutchman’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was third ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and George Russell in the second Mercedes.
Lance Stroll, looking recovered from his wrist injuries after a pre-season cycling accident, was seventh in the second Aston Martin, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari and rookie Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who was not born when Alonso made his F1 debut in Melbourne 22 years ago.
Pierre Gasly was 10th for Alpine.
Verstappen and Red Bull appeared unperturbed by this relatively minor setback, but Alonso’s continued near-perfect form and calm demeanour suggested the champions may struggle again at one of their least-favorite circuits.
The Dutchman has never won a season opening race or in Bahrain, after nine attempts, while Red Bull have not triumphed at the Bahrain International Circuit for ten years.
On another hot day at Sakhir, with a track temperature of 42 degrees Celsius delivering challenging and unrepresentative conditions, there was no rush out of the pitlane at the start.
When Russell joined the fray after 10 minutes, he was only the fourth man on track, but his arrival sparked others to venture out.
Hamilton soon topped the times ahead of Leclerc as Ferrari and Mercedes duelled for speed.
After delaying his arrival, Alonso made an immediate impact and was top after 55 minutes on softs as Verstappen joined in, going fifth on hard tires and complaining of lack of grip.
In the extreme conditions, it was little surprise the hard compounds failed to perform as Stroll took over at the top, ahead of his Aston Martin team-mate, with 15 minutes remaining.
Mercedes then switched to softs and Hamilton and Russell took over before Verstappen and then Alonso outpaced them to go first and second.
Told he had taken P1, Alonso gave a laconic reply. “Oh, really?” he drawled.
As a brief rehearsal ahead of qualifying later Saturday, it was intriguing, but confirmed Aston Martin are genuine front-runners for this weekend’s event.
Alonso maintains hold over Verstappen in Bahrain GP practice
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Alonso maintains hold over Verstappen in Bahrain GP practice
- The 41-year-old Spaniard clocked a best lap of 1 minute 32.340 seconds
- Verstappen and Red Bull appeared unperturbed by this relatively minor setback
Al-Attiyah claims victory at 2026 Hail Baja international rally
HAIL: The Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026 ended on Saturday with Nasser Al-Attiyah claiming overall victory, completing the event in a total time of 4 hours, 6 minutes, 23 seconds. Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished second with 4:07:05, while Dania Akeel secured third place with 4:20:47.
The event was organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport, the Hail Region Emirate and the Hail Region Development Authority, with Jameel Motorsport as official partner alongside the Saudi Motorsport Marshals Club.
The winners were crowned by Mansour Al-Mokbel, CEO of Saudi Motorsport Company, in the presence of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, chairman of the Hail Region Development Authority board.
The ceremony followed the second and final stage of the rally, which was hosted in Baqaa and covered a total distance of 323 km, including 151 km of the timed special stage.
The event brought together 152 drivers and navigators from 26 nationalities, including 72 Saudis, with 93 vehicles competing across six categories.
Overall classification — Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026
FIA Ultimate Category
Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar)
Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Saudi Arabia)
Dania Akeel (Saudi Arabia)
FIA Challenger Category
Yasir Bin Saiedan (Saudi Arabia)
Hamad Al-Wuhaibi (Oman)
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Qatar)
FIA SSV Category
Fernando Alvarez (Argentina)
Mansour Al-Helai (UAE)
Erik van Loon (Netherlands)
FIA Stock Category
Majed Al-Thunayan (Saudi Arabia)
Abdullah Al-Shegawi (Saudi Arabia)
Al-Mashna Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
FIM Motorcycles Category
Alex McInnes (Great Britain)
Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE)
Sultan Al-Balooshi (UAE)
FIM Quad Bikes Category
Hani Al-Noumesi (Saudi Arabia)
Abdulaziz Al-Atwi (Saudi Arabia)
Ahmed Al-Jaber (Saudi Arabia)
Saudi Toyota Baja Championship
Ultimate Cars Category
Faris Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
Motab Al-Qnon (Saudi Arabia)
Khalaf Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
SSV Category
Prince Sultan bin Turki bin Sultan (Saudi Arabia)
Mashael Al-Huwaish (Saudi Arabia)
Abdulmoeen Al-Shawaf (Saudi Arabia)
Stock Category
Mohammed Al-Asiri (Saudi Arabia)
Salem Al-Quraini (Saudi Arabia)
Hatem Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
The Hail Baja international rally is considered one of the region’s premier motorsport events. It has been a key fixture on the desert rally calendar for more than two decades, offering high standards and an exciting sporting experience for both competitors and spectators. The rally also holds an important position on the calendars of several regional and international championships, reinforcing its status as one of the standout cross-country rallies in the region and reflecting Saudi Arabia’s growing reputation as a global motorsport destination.
