Complete Bahrain test results | Mercedes again the fastest

On Wednesday, George Russell already went quicker than the best time from the first week in Bahrain. Back then his teammate Kimi Antonelli was fastest; this time it was the Brit with a 1:33.459.

Russell’s advantage was minimal. With a 1:33.469, Oscar Piastri came very close to the Mercedes driver. There was a small gap to Charles Leclerc, who was the last driver to dip under the 1:34 mark.

Behind Leclerc, Norris, and Antonelli, Isack Hadjar only followed in sixth place for Red Bull Racing. The Frenchman spent a lot of time inside due to a problem with his RB22. In the end, Hadjar still completed 66 laps and set a time good enough for P6. That left him eight tenths slower than Russell and Piastri.

At the bottom of the timesheets were both Cadillac drivers. Sergio Perez managed no better than a 1:38.191, nearly five seconds off the day’s fastest time. Valtteri Bottas was slightly quicker with a 1:36.798 but did not get beyond P20. P22 went to Max Verstappen, the only driver not to take to the track on Wednesday.