Russell faster for Mercedes the last day of F1 tests

Sakhir, Bahrain: George Russell concluded the third and last day of the pre -season Formula One tests in Bahrain with Mercedes at the top after it was faster than the current world champion Max Verstappen in the final minutes on Friday.

The British completed 91 laps and established the best time of the day around the Sakhir circuit illuminated per minute of 29,545 seconds.

The time was slower than 1: 29,348 registered by Carlos Sainz de Williams on Thursday. Spanish teammate Alex Albon was the third fastest on Friday, 0.105 of the Russell rhythm after 137 massive laps.

Four times the world champion Verstappen made a full day and finished 0.021 of the Russell rhythm.

The Oscar Piestri Australian was fourth for the McLaren champions, who have done a good job when they stay under the radar showing speed flashes but aborting turns that could have put them in the lights.

Charles Leclerc de Ferrari was faster in a four -hour morning session interrupted strangely by a glass panel that fell from the start box and broke on the track.

That was followed by another red flag in the afternoon when a bus appeared in the runoff area, since some cars were on the track.

The seven -time world champion Hamilton was sixth in general for Ferrari, behind Pierre Gasly de Alpine in fifth.

Mercedes’s 18 -year -old Italian rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, was second in the morning, 0.077 slower than the best return of Leclerc of 30,811 seconds, but fell to the tenth place in general at the end.

“It is difficult to know what fuel loads are running, since we are all doing our own different programs, so you should take everything with a pinch of salt,” Hamilton said of what he had seen so far.

“McLaren won the builders last year. We hope they will be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, as with Red Bull, which dominated for many, many years.”

Aston Martin had a day of changes, with Lance Stroll initially informed badly for the morning session and Fernando Alonso driving in his place.

The Canadian returned in the afternoon, but then felt bad again after 34 laps and Alonso returned during the last hour.

“The initial feedback of Lance and Fernando suggests that we have progressed with the driving of the car driving, but we have also discovered areas that could be better and need more focus,” said team director Andy Cowell.