S Poddar
George Russell recorded the quickest lap on the last day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, just beating Max Verstappen at the end of the session. The Mercedes driver produced a strong performance to secure the top position as teams completed their preparations for the 2025 Formula 1 season-opening event in Australia.
Earlier in the day, Charles Leclerc had topped the morning session for Ferrari before a majority of the teams changed drivers for the second half of the day. But Red Bull and Williams decided to leave Verstappen and Alex Albon in their cars for the entire day, giving them more time on the track ahead of the beginning of the season.
When the afternoon session started, there was a delayed change of setup by teams as they sent out their second drivers. But not Haas, as Esteban Ocon got out promptly despite a hectic morning when some part of the team’s engine cover broke loose from the vehicle.
Pierre Gasly was the first to post the benchmark time before Verstappen, with shorter runs, stole the show with a lap time of 1m 29.844s. The Red Bull driver maintained his steady performance as the champion sought to fine-tune his setup in preparation for the season-opening race.
Aston Martin, meanwhile, faced a surprise twist. Lance Stroll, who had missed the morning session after being unwell, initially returned to action in the afternoon but managed only 34 laps before vacating the car once more. The team responded quickly, readying the car for Fernando Alonso, who did manage to get out on the track for the final hour in the floodlights.
Albon briefly held the number one position during a qualifying simulation on the medium C4 tyres before Verstappen regained P1 with a 1m 29.566s lap on the C3 compound. The last half-hour of testing witnessed small incidents, with both Ocon and Verstappen spinning and briefly raising yellow flags. Verstappen’s time appeared unbreakable until Russell shocked the paddock by posting a 1m 29.545s, beating the Dutchman by a mere 0.021 seconds.
Russell’s late surge gave Mercedes the quickest lap of the test, with Albon’s solid run claiming P3 for Williams. Oscar Piastri claimed fourth for McLaren ahead of Gasly in fifth position. Lewis Hamilton, who was making his long-awaited Ferrari debut, managed 47 laps and finished the day in sixth position.
Yuki Tsunoda had a steady run for Racing Bulls, placing seventh. Ocon, who completed more than 100 laps, took eighth for Haas. Leclerc, Mercedes’ youngster Kimi Antonelli, McLaren’s Lando Norris, and Alpine’s Jack Doohan took places from ninth to 12th, in order of their morning session times. Stroll’s truncated run saw him take 13th on the timesheets.
Below them in the order was Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg at P14, with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Alonso following. Kick Sauber’s rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and Haas’s rookie Ollie Bearman finished out the order for Kick Sauber and Haas, respectively.
With pre-season testing now over, everyone’s attention shifts to the Australian Grand Prix, which will be held from March 14-16. Teams will study the information collected during the three-day test in Bahrain, making final adjustments to their cars before the opening race of the 2025 season.
