Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso had steering issues during Friday’s practice in Bahrain, leading the Aston Martin driver’s steering wheel being dislodged while on track. 

Alonso reported to his team during the second practice session that he was struggling with steering and that the computer functions on the steering wheel were not operating correctly. 

Travelling down one of the straights at the Bahrain International Circuit, Alonso was pushing buttons trying to kick-start the steering wheel before it dislodged, leaving the Spaniard unable to turn his car.

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Alonso was able to reattach the steering wheel and navigate his way back to the pits, where his team was able to fix the issues.

“We had an issue with the steering early in FP2, but the mechanics were able to change the parts and it was OK after that, so thank you everyone in the garage for getting it fixed quickly,” Alonso told media on Friday.

Meanwhile, McLaren dominated the timing sheets on Friday, with championship leader Lando Norris fastest in the first session, and Australian Oscar Piastri the quickest driver in the second session.

Each McLaren driver has a grand prix win each after three rounds, and both appear to be well in contention for this season’s world championship. 

The pace looked strong in FP2, and we’ve learned a lot,” Piastri said on Friday. 

“We’ll have a look at what went well and what we can do better before turning our attention to qualifying tomorrow afternoon [Sunday 2am, AEST].”

The Bahrain Grand Prix will be held on Monday, 1am AEST. This is the fourth round of the 2025 F1 season.