Autobayng News Team
The Mercedes drivers occupied the top two places on the times sheets as Formula 1’s second pre-season test concluded in Bahrain.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli took over from George Russell halfway through today’s test and took almost a quarter of a second off his benchmark time. The 19-year-old left the quickest time of the test at a 1’33.669, just under four seconds off last year’s pole position time.
No one else beat Russell’s time from the first four hours of running. Lewis Hamilton therefore ended the test in third place with a best time of 1’34.209 in his Ferrari. He also caused a red flag when his SF-26 came to a stop in the final minutes of the session.
Hamilton logged 150 laps over his full day in the car but was outdone by Oscar Piastri who logged a mammoth 161 laps – 10 short of three grand prix distances – in his McLaren. He also set the fourth-fastest time, followed by the two Red Bull drivers.
The Haas pair also appeared in the top 10, separated by Franco Colapinto who had a full day in the Alpine. Nico Hulkenberg was 10th for Audi.
Of the 17 drivers who took part in the test, Valtteri Bottas was slowest following his stoppage earlier in the day. Lance Stroll, who spent the whole day in the Aston Martin, managed less than half as many laps as most other full-day drivers and ended the day almost four-and-a-half seconds off the best time.
Test two, day three times
| Pos. | Car number | Driver | Team | Model | Best time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’33.669 | 61 | |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’33.918 | 0.249 | 78 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’34.209 | 0.540 | 150 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | MCL40 | 1’34.549 | 0.880 | 161 |
| 5 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | RB22 | 1’35.341 | 1.672 | 61 |
| 6 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | RB22 | 1’35.610 | 1.941 | 59 |
| 7 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | VF-26 | 1’35.753 | 2.084 | 75 |
| 8 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | A526 | 1’35.806 | 2.137 | 144 |
| 9 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | VF-26 | 1’35.972 | 2.303 | 70 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’36.291 | 2.622 | 58 |
| 11 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | FW48 | 1’36.793 | 3.124 | 78 |
| 12 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 03 | 1’36.808 | 3.139 | 119 |
| 13 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams | FW48 | 1’37.186 | 3.517 | 68 |
| 14 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1’37.365 | 3.696 | 67 | |
| 15 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’37.536 | 3.867 | 60 |
| 16 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | AMR26 | 1’38.165 | 4.496 | 72 |
| 17 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1’38.772 | 5.103 | 37 |
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