Mercedes drivers Antonelli, Russell put team on top at final F1 testing

Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were the fastest at the end of three days of Formula 1 preseason testing in Bahrain on Friday.

Antonelli topped the afternoon session, replacing Russell behind the wheel. Russell led the way in the morning as the teams can run only one car on track in the test.

Three more days of testing are scheduled next week in Bahrain, after a secretive “shakedown” test in Spain last month.

Russell said Mercedes still has work to do before the first race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.

“Barcelona was very smooth, and probably smoother than we actually anticipated, in terms of reliability, in terms of performance,” he said. “We’ve got to Bahrain and in both regards we’ve taken a step back.

“We’ve got another test, a month until Melbourne. We’re obviously very focused on the performance but you’ve also got to finish the race if you want to fight for the result. Being a driver, you’re always focused on the performance, and a number of the team members are really focused on reliability and working hard on that.”

Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli poses for a photograph. Reuters

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton tested for the entire day and was second to Antonelli by more than half a second.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri also participated in both sessions and placed fourth. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar followed.

The drivers are testing new cars amid sweeping changes for 2026 that have made cars smaller and lighter and highlighted the strategy of charging an on-board battery and using electrical energy to boost speed.

Hadjar praised team’s new power unit, saying it “seems so far reliable, powerful, so I’m very happy so far. Very surprised already from the Barcelona shakedown to here, like how many laps we managed to achieve.

“It just seems easier to push to the limit compared to last year’s car. It’s a bit slower in general, and also lighter, smaller.”

Charles Leclerc led the way for Ferrari on Thursday, going fastest by half a second from champion Lando Norris. On Wednesday, Norris topped the field.

Agencies