F1: George Russell appeared on the last day of BARÉIN trials

The English stayed with the best time on the last pre -season day in Sakhir with his Mercedes, although he did not lower Carlos Sainz’s time on Wednesday. McLaren scared everyone.

There were three days of pure work for the teams, used by engineers and pilots to collect information, but the deck farm is to have distributed in Formula 1. George Russell season was the dominator of the last of the three days when marking 1m29s545 and overcome by just 21 thousandths to Max Verstappen (Red Bull). However, the English did not reach him to keep the best of the week, a title that was finally owned by Carlos Sainz with his Wednesday registration (1m29s348).

It is clear that they were preseason training and each team chose their work program and, of course, they had it saved under seven keys. To perform a conclusive analysis after the three days of Baréin could be a carafal error, because nobody knows what the rival turned (amount of fuel, motor map, etc.). In addition, the weather did not help. Incredibly, it rained on Thursday in Sakhir and only this Friday the temperature was a bit higher. The track was varying by temperature and the grip was very different. Then, perhaps at the time that a team simulated classification was found with a cold asphalt and little grip. And a rival may have done it with a more benevolent condition.

In Mercedes there is conformity with the pre -season walk, without a doubt, but they are cautious. In 2024 the W15 had shown its best moments in cold conditions, precisely what happened in Baréin. So, perhaps, it can be a mirage that falls apart when they reach torrid races. “I am a little worried at this time, because in these conditions we should be two seconds faster than the others!” Toto Wolff joked, Bradley’s team director. “You have to try to think what could have happened if the temperature had been 20 degrees higher, if the wind had been 180 degrees different,” Russell confessed, who stayed with 1 on Friday with an ambient temperature of 16 degrees and 20 degrees on the track.

Verstappen was satisfied with its RB21, after having suffered in the final part of 2024 with the RB20 along the wrong path that the technicians in development took. “I enjoyed driving. The truth is that the car was quite decent. As for the rhythm, it is always difficult to say it, but I also enjoyed it. I guess that’s the most important thing. It is a bit more predictable than the RB20, but at this point last year, also on this track, it was not so bad, but I think the team learned a lot from 2024, so now we only tried to address the mistakes and see how it goes when we get to Australia, which is a completely different circuit from Baréin, but until now I liked it. It can’t be worse than last year, so I think the address we are working on is good. We just have to follow and see how much we can extract from that. But for now it is very soon, ”said the tetracampeón.

While on a Verstappen and Russell return they were fast, without that meaning more than a passing joy and with an uncertain future, in the career simulation the rhythm of McLaren scared everyone. In the long batches of the second day, passing the times clean, Lando Norris turned to an average of 46 hundredths faster than Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes). That difference would become a real race in 24 seconds in favor of English. Mercedes was the second best in rhythm with a no less data: the temperature was very low and in 2024 the silver arrows had been very competitive with that condition. Ferrari was the third in rhythm, with Charles Leclerc at the wheel, losing at a rate of 47 thousandths per turn with respect to MCl39. Behind was Liam Lawson and Red Bull, at 76. Nothing is conclusive, but it did scare. “Max did not handle,” was the answer given by Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s sports advisor, finished Wednesday’s simulation. Beyond the displacement for Lawson, it is true that Verstappen can print another rhythm. But papaya cars seem to be on a higher step in terms of that important item.

On the side of Ferrari, which was all joy and enthusiasm with the premiere of Lewis Hamilton, the grimace was at the end of Friday, with the SF-25 of the saved English and the red screws avoiding indiscreet looks that could know firsthand what the problem was. Undoubtedly, an inconvenience near the end did not leave the heptacampeón Complete the program, just when I should have gone to look for that fast twist that put it in the discussion with Russell. Charles Leclerc had been the fastest on Friday morning, but with a very high time.

To highlight, Williams’s work, always being clear about the context that they were trials and that many may have hidden their letters. For Grove’s, in addition to Sainz, he stayed with the best time of the week, Albon was strong when he looked for his time and was third, 105 thousandths from Russell on the day closing day. Alpine also showed with a good rhythm and velocidaD, with Pierre Gasly in the fifth place on Friday, 495 thousandths of the leader. Those of Grove and Estone were strength to fight hard for the fifth or sixth place of builders, before the debacle of Aston Martin and Haas that had a program that left doubts of their reality. Racing Bulls was far in rhythm, but when Yuki Tsunoda looked for a turn, he appeared.

Just a screenshot, the deck is not distributed. The letters will only be seen on March 15, when the classification of the Australian GP is disputed. There, everyone will put the maximum to get the best possible time and will no longer play hidden. And on the 16th, in the race, it will be time to corroborate if the rhythm of McLaren that generated fear in Baréin was real. Little is missing.