GEORGE RUSSELL FASTEST ON DAY ONE OF BAHRAIN TESTING

Mercedes set the pace, with George Russell finishing as the fastest driver on Wednesday, first day of the last week of F1 testing.

After a very busy first week, where many early questions were answered, teams returned to the track for three more days of running. These are the final test sessions before the real action begins in Australia in two weeks, when no one will be able to hide their true performance.

There were some last-minute changes in driver line-ups. Fernando Alonso drove for Aston Martin in the morning session. All drivers took to the track today except Max Verstappen, as Isack Hadjar had the full day in the Red Bull. Verstappen will drive tomorrow.

Calm Start, Early Exploration

The first two hours were relatively calm, although several drivers ran wide while exploring the limits of their cars. Charles Leclerc set an early benchmark of 1:33.739, three tenths ahead of Lando Norris and four tenths faster than Kimi Antonelli, who seemed to be holding back.

Leclerc, Alonso, Nico Hülkenberg, and Esteban Ocon all had minor off-track moments, but nothing serious. Most teams focused on gathering data and completing laps, although some started to experience issues early in the day.

Cadillac was the clearest example. Sergio Pérez completed only two installation laps before the car spent a long time in the garage. Racing Bulls also made several changes, and Arvid Lindblad stopped on track after being the most active driver in the first hour with 19 laps.

Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren continued running without problems, setting the pace throughout the morning. Red Bull had to return to the garage after Hadjar’s car suffered a hydraulic issue.

Aston Martin also closed their garage doors. Fernando Alonso was stuck on 28 laps for quite some time. The session had started well, but the team could not maintain momentum. Engineers from Aston Martin and Honda inspected the car with just over an hour remaining.

The problems appeared serious. According to reports, the team expected to lose more track time, a frustrating end to a morning that had begun positively.

Afternoon Focus on Aston Martin and Red Bull

When the afternoon session began, attention was firmly on Aston Martin and Red Bull. There were concerns about the reliability of Aston Martin’s Honda power unit, while Red Bull had also completed limited running in the morning.

Oliver Bearman and Liam Lawson were first on track after the break. Lewis Hamilton soon followed, running with flow-vis paint on the rear of his Ferrari to gather aerodynamic data. Oscar Piastri also began adding laps.

Aston Martin tried to remain calm. Alonso said the problems could be solved in the short and medium term. However, Lance Stroll’s car remained in the garage for some time. Eventually, the Canadian returned to the track.

The calm did not last. Stroll went into the gravel at Turn 11, causing the first red flag of the afternoon. The session was stopped while his car was recovered and the track cleaned.

Tight Fight at the Top

As the session continued, teams switched to long runs and performance simulations. George Russell and Isack Hadjar improved their times, while Russell appeared to start a race simulation alongside Oscar Piastri.

Piastri then set the fastest lap of pre-season so far with a 1:33.469. But Russell quickly responded, setting a 1:33.459, just one hundredth of a second faster.

Stroll improved his time to 1:36.338 after several laps but later returned to the garage, possibly due to an electrical issue.

As the session came to an end, teams focused on system checks and practice starts. The times did not change further.

Final Results

George Russell finished the day on top for Mercedes, just one hundredth of a second ahead of Oscar Piastri. Russell was also the most active driver, completing 76 laps.

The day highlighted Aston Martin’s reliability concerns, McLaren’s strong pace, and Mercedes’ consistency. Many technical questions remain as testing continues in Bahrain.

Day 1 results

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