Mercedes makes strong Bahrain test statement as Hamilton causes late red flag
Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli topped the overall timesheets on the final day of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, as Lewis Hamilton's session with Ferrari ended early with a red flag. While test times are unreliable, the pace offers hope for a Mercedes rebound, with all teams now looking ahead to the season-opening race next week.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli set the fastest overall time of the Bahrain pre-season test, signaling a potential step forward for the team, while Lewis Hamilton's final day with Ferrari ended with a late-session stoppation that brought out a red flag.
Why it matters:
Pre-season testing times are famously deceptive, but the raw pace shown by Mercedes, particularly through its promising junior driver, provides a crucial data point for the team's winter progress. After a winless 2024, any sign of competitiveness is significant. Meanwhile, Hamilton's late issue, though possibly planned, marks an abrupt end to his final on-track session as a Ferrari driver before the season begins.
The details:
- Antonelli's pace: Limited to just three laps on Day 2 due to a power unit change, the Italian rookie made up for lost time on the final afternoon. He first beat teammate George Russell's morning benchmark by 0.018s with a 1:33.900, then lowered it to a test-best 1:33.669, ending the day a quarter-second clear.
- Hamilton's stoppage: The seven-time champion, now with Ferrari, completed nearly 150 laps but stopped at the bottom of the hill by Turn 8 in the final 10 minutes, causing a red flag. This may have been a planned "run dry" test for system checks, as running resumed under a Virtual Safety Car for the final minutes.
- Team workload: George Russell led the morning session and completed 78 laps. McLaren's Oscar Piastri set a day-high 153 laps, nearly three race distances, underscoring strong reliability for the team.
- Red Bull's schedule: Max Verstappen did not run in the afternoon after setting the third-fastest time in the morning, handing the RB20 over to rookie Isack Hadjar for the final session.
What's next:
The talking stops and the stopwatch starts for real next week. All speculation from testing will be put to the ultimate test at the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2nd. The focus will be on whether Mercedes can translate this testing form into a genuine qualifying and race threat, and if Ferrari has resolved the reliability gremlin that halted Hamilton on his final test day.