F1 Testing: Mercedes' Russell tops final day in Bahrain
F1 testing: Mercedes driver George Russell tops final day of preseason testing in Bahrain
Mercedes driver George Russell clinched the fastest lap on the final day of preseason testing in Bahrain by narrowly surpassing Max Verstappen's best effort in the final ten minutes of the session. Russell's lap time was a mere 0.021 seconds quicker than the reigning champion, although still 0.197 seconds slower than the test-best time set by Carlos Sainz's Williams on Thursday.
Testing lap times provide a murky picture of relative performance, yet unlike previous years when Red Bull emerged as clear favorites, this year's field appears much closer. McLaren showed strong performance on longer runs, highlighted by Lando Norris's impressive race simulation on Thursday. Nevertheless, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull all seem to be contenders.
Lewis Hamilton, who returned to the track for Ferrari in the afternoon session but encountered a reliability issue, pointed to McLaren as the team to watch. "It's hard to know what fuel loads everyone is running, as we're all doing our own different programs, so you have to take everything with a pinch of salt," Hamilton said. "McLaren won the constructors' last year. We expect them to be one of the quickest, if not the quickest, as with Red Bull, who dominated for many, many years."
The Bahrain International Circuit continued to present challenges, including a one-hour power cut on the opening day and various unexpected incidents. Shortly before the lunch break, a pane of glass from the starter's box shattered and fell on the track near the pit straight, causing a red flag to clear the debris. After the break, a circuit bus mistakenly entered a restricted area, causing a brief four-minute halt.
Haas faced a significant reliability hiccup when the engine cover came loose from Oliver Bearman's car. According to team principal Ayao Komatsu, the incident "really impacted" Bearman's run plan. The car eventually returned to the track, finishing the afternoon session with Esteban Ocon at the wheel.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, who felt unwell since the morning, only managed 34 laps in the afternoon before handing the car over to teammate Fernando Alonso.
Day three lap times, lap counts, and tire compounds
| Driver | Team | Lap Time | Laps | Compound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29.545 | 91 | C3 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:29.566 | 81 | C3 |
| Alex Albon | Williams | 1:29.650 | 137 | C4 |
| Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:29.940 | 85 | C3 |
| Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:30.040 | 84 | C3 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:30.345 | 47 | C4 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1:30.497 | 87 | C3 |
| Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:30.728 | 103 | C4 |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:30.811 | 66 | C3 |
| Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:30.888 | 61 | C3 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:30.943 | 57 | C3 |
| Jack Doohan | Alpine | 1:31.239 | 61 | C3 |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:31.699 | 34 | C3 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | 1:31.726 | 69 | C3 |
| Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:31.761 | 73 | C3 |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:32.084 | 82 | C3 |
| Gabriel Bortelto | Sauber | 1:32.147 | 35 | C3 |
| Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:32.361 | 59 | C3 |
The first test of the season is now complete, leaving excitement and anticipation in the air as teams prepare for the upcoming races. With a tightly packed field, fans can look forward to thrilling competitions on the horizon.
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