Right behind them on the grid are the two drivers who looked strongest in pre-season testing - Honda's Jenson Button and world champion Fernando Alonso of Renault.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said the decision to delay the testing of the MP4-26 was to give drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton "the best possible package" for Bahrain.
The 24-year-old, who becomes the third British driver on the grid alongside McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, made a solid start to his first full season in F1, testing the 2010 car in Valencia last week.