Norris warns of challenging F1 track at Bahrain GP but McLaren sets the pace

Lando Norris has seemed pessimistic about McLaren's pace for the Bahrain Grand Prix. It didn't seem that way on track as he and teammate Oscar Piastri dominated Friday practice.

After a setback at the Japanese Grand Prix, McLaren is hoping to get back on top of Formula 1 in Bahrain this week.

Piastri expected the desert heat could make it a “friendly” track for McLaren — which has never won in Bahrain — but Norris predicted a “trickier weekend.”

Max Verstappen gave his title defense a big boost with his win in Japan last week but needed a stunning lap in qualifying to take pole position before holding off Norris and Piastri for the entire race.

Norris was fastest in the first practice by .238 seconds from Alpine's Pierre Gasly. Lewis Hamilton was third fastest for Ferrari, .596 off Norris' time, after earlier reporting his car was “not working at all.”

Piastri was 10th in that session but set the pace in the second practice, held in evening conditions more representative of Sunday's race. The Australian beat Norris by .154. No other driver was within half a second of Piastri, with George Russell third fastest for Mercedes, .527 off the pace.

Norris had said on Thursday that low-speed corners in Bahrain could work against McLaren.

“We still know that’s one of our weaker areas, so I’m not expecting bad things, I’m just expecting a trickier weekend than the last few,” said Norris, who leads Verstappen by one point in the standings.

Piastri predicted the desert should suit McLaren's car, whose relatively low tire wear could give the team an edge, but warned “it doesn’t take much to go wrong for us to not be at the front."

“It being a little bit more difficult on tires and a bit warmer probably will be more friendly for us than others,” said Piastri, who won the Chinese GP last month.

It was a tough day for Red Bull as Verstappen was seventh in the second practice, behind Isack Hadjar from the sister team Racing Bulls. Verstappen didn't take part in the first session because of rules on giving track time to young drivers. His new teammate Yuki Tsunoda was ninth in the first session and 18th in the second as he struggles to adapt to the Red Bull car.

The president of F1's governing body, the FIA, is pushing a plan which could transform the series, but his way of running things has stirred up opposition.

The FIA held a meeting in Bahrain with representatives of F1's engine manufacturers after FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem floated the idea of bringing back “the roaring sound of the V10 (engine) running on sustainable fuel."

That would be a big change from F1's current V6 turbo hybrid engines and the new generation of hybrid engines that manufacturers have committed to for next year. The meeting ended without a commitment to a return to V10 engines, though there are plans for more discussions.

“I wouldn’t be too vocal supporting the comeback of a V10 engine if I liked what I see from 2026,” Williams driver Carlos Sainz, Jr. said on Thursday. “Everyone seems to believe that (the 2026 rules) are not so good anymore.”

The last time V10s were standard on the F1 grid was 20 years ago and they're almost non-existent in modern road cars. The 24-year-old Piastri said he doesn't have “quite the same nostalgia” as older drivers and warned the debate could hurt F1's image.

“We just need to be a bit careful and not downplay what we're going to have for the next few years to come,” he said.

Ben Sulayem is up for re-election this year and has vocal critics. His deputy president for sport and one-time ally, Robert Reid, has resigned in protest at how the FIA is run.

F1 drivers are also pushing back on Ben Sulayem's efforts to police their behavior. Sainz defied an FIA rule against swearing on Thursday as he protested being fined for lateness.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the second free practice for the Formula One 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain in action during the second free practice for the Formula One 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain stops in the pit lane during the Formula One 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain in action during the Formula One 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain arrives for the first practice during the Formula One 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain leaves the pit lane during the Formula One 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain rides a scooter through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands walks to his garage ahead of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is happy to be back at his hometown event and showed it.

Cameron Champ isn't far from familiar territory, either, which is a good thing considering he got the call that he was in the Byron Nelson as an alternate about 18 hours before his tee time.

Scheffler made the turn in 29 on his way to a 10-under 61 on Thursday for a two-shot lead over Rico Hoey and Jhonattan Vegas, with Champ among seven players another shot back at 64.

Defending champion Taylor Pendrith shot 67 with players allowed to lift, clean and replace their shots in the fairways after the par-71 TPC Craig Ranch got heavy rainfall Wednesday.

The top-ranked Scheffler outshined fellow hometown star Jordan Spieth with the former Texas Longhorns paired together along with Si Woo Kim, a South Korean who also calls Dallas home and was showcased in an event sponsored by CJ Group, a conglomerate based in his home country.

Kim shot 67, capping his round with a lofty chip-in for eagle at the par-5 18th and rolling onto his back in celebration. Spieth is 2 under. Vegas, another Texas alum, had a bogey-free round along with Scheffler and Hoey.

The others at 7 under with Champ are Stephan Jaeger, Michael Thorbjornsen, Eric Cole, Andrew Putnam, Patton Kizzire and Will Gordon.

Scheffler missed last year's event in Dallas' northern suburb of McKinney for the birth of his first child, son Bennett.

“Jordan and I love playing here. This tournament has meant a lot to us over the years,” Scheffler said. “Obviously last year I was missing for some pretty good reasons. I wasn't too sad about what was going on in my life at the time.”

Back then, he had 10 wins combined before May over a three-year stretch, including the Masters and Players Championship twice each. Now, Scheffler is still seeking the first victory of 2025.

Not that he was playing poorly before posting his lowest round of the year. Scheffler finished fourth as the defending champion at Augusta and has four other top-10 finishes this year.

“I wouldn't say anxious or eager, anything like that,” the 13-time winner said of seeking his first victory in 2025. “I got off to a pretty good start today, and there's three more days of the tournament. Just focused on going home and getting some rest.”

Scheffler birdied four consecutive holes on the front nine and added one more before putting his approach at the par-5 ninth inside 5 feet for an eagle to get to 7 under.

A chip for birdie stopped on the lip at the par-4 11th, the second of three consecutive pars before he pulled even with Hoey with a birdie at 13. Scheffler took the lead by putting his tee shot on the stadium hole — the par-3 17th — inside 3 feet.

Hoey, a 29-year-old from the Philippines seeking his first PGA Tour victory, started with eight pars on the back nine before an eagle on 18 triggered an 8-under finish over his final 10 holes. His 63 tied his career low on the PGA Tour. Hoey's best finish this year also was in Texas, a tie for 11th at the Houston Open.

“It’s been up and down, but from the start of the last season and comparing it, I think I’m doing a way better job,” said Hoey, who won on the Canadian tour in 2017 and the Korn Ferry circuit two years ago. “Just feel like there are rounds I’ve been clicking; other rounds I haven’t put it up. Kind of nice to get the momentum rolling now.”

Champ, who lives in Houston and played at Texas A&M, was home when he got the call that he was replacing Gary Woodland, who withdrew. He made it to the Dallas area Wednesday night and countered two bogeys in his first three holes with nine birdies.

The 29-year-old from California won three times from 2019-21 but missed 35 of 55 cuts over the previous two years. This is just his fourth start of 2025.

“Considering last year, how many cuts I missed by one, it was like 11 or 12 or something, I haven’t really been playing that bad,” Champ said. “The last two years is probably the hardest I’ve ever worked. Feel like my physical abilities are there. It’s just getting back to the right mental state.”

Spieth and Danny Walker had to pause to clean spikes after wayward tee shots into muddy territory. Walker's cleaning delay lasted several minutes, including others helping by splashing the soles with bottled water.

Walker, playing in the group ahead of Spieth, ended up with a bogey on the par-4 11th on his way to a 68. Spieth scrambled for a par-4 at No. 3 after barely missing the water while putting his tee shot in a waste area.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Cameron Champ watches his shot off the ninth tee during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Si Woo Kim hits off the sixth tee during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Jordan Spieth, left, and Scottie Scheffler, right, walk the sixth fairway together during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Jordan Spieth follows through on his shot off the sixth tee during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Rico Hoey, right, and his caddie approach the 8th green during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Scottie Scheffler watches his drive on the sixth tee during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)