Mercedes closed this Friday’s morning session at Circuito Internacional of Sakhir with the fastest lap recorded in the entire pre-season so far. George Russell set the benchmark time by clocking 1min33s918, using the softest compounds available to outperform direct rivals. The British driver’s performance confirmed the evolution of the German team, which managed to combine speed in a single lap with a consistent race simulation of 78 laps.
Tough dispute with Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton kept Ferrari competitive and close to the lead, ending the morning in second place. The seven-time champion recorded a mark just 0s291 slower than his former teammate, totaling 69 laps on the Bahrein route. The Italian team focused its efforts on medium stints and the correlation of aerodynamic data, avoiding unnecessary risks while consolidating the car’s setup for the opening of the championship.
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The minimal difference between the two manufacturers suggests a scenario of balance in the front pack. Enquanto to Mercedes sought pure performance, Ferrari prioritized stability, indicating that both teams arrive with robust packages for the start of official competitions in March.
Red Bull and long-term work
Max Verstappen placed Red Bull in third place, but with a more significant time difference in relation to the leaders. The defending champion was 1s423 behind Russell, completing 61 laps focused mainly on fuel load tests and tire behavior in race simulations. The Austrian team chose not to chase qualifying times, instead focusing on reliability and pace management.
Apesar of the distance on the stopwatch, the Red Bull program ran without mechanical failures, allowing the collection of crucial data on the consumption and wear of compounds. The conservative strategy masked the real speed potential, something common in sessions where the focus is on equipment resistance.
Interruption and problems at Cadillac
The only red flag of the morning was caused by Cadillac, a debuting team on the grid. Valtteri Bottas was forced to stop the car at turn 11 due to a mechanical failure, which severely limited his participation in the session. The Finnish driver completed just 35 laps, the lowest number among all participants, damaging the new team’s development program.
The North American team worked quickly in the pits to diagnose the fault during the stoppage, which lasted just a few minutes. The incident served as a warning about the reliability of the new powertrain, an expected challenge for operations that are in their first year in the top category of motorsport.
Productivity highlights and surprises
The Racing Bulls topped the mileage chart with the Liam Lawson, which completed an impressive 84 laps, demonstrating the robustness of the equipment. Outra A positive surprise was the performance of Haas, with Oliver Bearman securing the fourth best time (1min35s972) and surpassing traditional teams like McLaren.
Abaixo are the main data on laps and times recorded by the drivers in the session:
– George Russell (Mercedes): 1:33.918 (78 laps)
– Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 1:34.209 (69 laps)
– Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:35.341 (61 laps)
– Oliver Bearman (Haas): 1:35.972 (70 laps)
– Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls): Maior mileage (84 laps)
– Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac): Menor mileage (35 laps)
McLaren had a low-key morning with Oscar Piastri in fifth, while Aston Martin faced pace difficulties, with Lance Stroll in the last positions, more than four seconds behind the leader. Teams are now analyzing the data collected for final adjustments before the afternoon session, which will officially end the pre-season.