Russell pips Piastri at the death as Mercedes end day one fastest in Bahrain

The morning session saw Charles Leclerc lead the way ahead of Lando Norris, while the Mercedes driver and the reigning world champion’s team-mate took centre stage in the afternoon.

The Australian had topped the times for much of the afternoon before being displaced by the Briton, who wrapped up the day with a 1:33.459 — just 10 thousandths quicker than the MCL40.

Isack Hadjar, meanwhile, emerged as the third-fastest driver of the afternoon, excluding those who ran in the morning session, with the Frenchman at one stage even setting the outright best time in the opening sector before ultimately finishing seven tenths off the pace.

The newly appointed Red Bull driver had encountered issues in the morning that limited his mileage, but he managed to make up for it in the afternoon and, overall, salvage the day.

Lewis Hamilton slotted in just behind him, with the Briton enduring a relatively quiet afternoon on track, having spent a significant amount of time in the garage.

He ultimately finished just a few thousandths behind the Red Bull driver, making him one of the least active runners on track during the afternoon session.

More trouble for Aston Martin, as Lance Stroll triggered the day’s first and only red flag after an unusual spin left his AMR26 stranded in the gravel. He was able to get back out a few hours later, but still could not do better than 15th place.

Below are the full results of the afternoon session.