George Russell went simply 0.021s quicker than Max Verstappen throughout late runs on the ultimate day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, as Ferrari’s week ended early as a result of a automotive drawback.
Lewis Hamilton had been set to finish a race simulation on Friday afternoon however managed simply 47 laps — some on decrease gasoline — earlier than he returned to the storage and his automotive was taken aside. That meant he missed out on a busy last hour when rivals used the C3 compound tire to set their quickest instances of the day, with Russell posting a 1m29.545s within the closing levels and taking Mercedes to the very best lap depend of the week with 458.
It had been Verstappen on prime previous to that, the defending champion one in every of two drivers to finish a full day’s working, though he managed simply 81 laps. Operating a brand new Crimson Bull nostril, Verstappen didn’t full a race simulation, and the group ended the week with the bottom mileage of the complete grid, as 4 drivers exceeded the Dutchman’s complete for the day within the afternoon session alone.
Alex Albon was the opposite to spend all day within the automotive at Williams, and he concluded the group’s encouraging week with the third-fastest time. That adopted teammate Carlos Sainz topping the standings on day two, and Sainz’s lap of 1m29.348s stood because the quickest total lap of the check.
The principle caveat to Albon’s place — past variations in gasoline hundreds and engine modes — was the actual fact he used the softer C4 compound tire for his finest lap, in comparison with the C3 for the remainder of the sphere. The lap depend from Albon was robust, nonetheless, as he managed 135 laps to shut out the check, particularly given the variety of interruptions that have been seen on the ultimate day.
Previous to the lunch break, a weird delay occurred when a pane of glass fell from the starters’ field that overhangs the pit straight. The smashed glass on the observe required cleansing up, however fast work from the trackside personnel restricted the preliminary interruption to round 10 minutes.
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴
Particles on the beginning/end straight – seems to be like a pane of glass from the starter’s sales space has fallen onto the observe #F1Testing #F1 pic.twitter.com/Fi4UOHCAap
— Components 1 (@F1) February 28, 2025
The restart got here too quickly, nonetheless, with the observe going inexperienced with a quad bike — pulling a circuit cleansing machine — nonetheless returning to its authentic station. Solely Fernando Alonso made it out of the pits earlier than the crimson flag returned, with the Aston Martin driver having to return straight again in earlier than the session might resume.
There was one other quick however unusual delay after lunch, when a crimson flag was thrown in response to a bus utilizing a part of the Flip 10 run-off space. The shuttle bus by no means made it onto the observe itself because it lower behind the barrier, nevertheless it was within the firing line for a spell ought to any automotive have had a problem at Flip 9.
After that time, the drama was confined to group garages, with Ferrari removed from the one ones coping with a problem within the afternoon. Aston Martin needed to undergo its second driver change of the day due to Lance Stroll affected by an sickness. Stroll had been as a result of drive within the morning session however felt unwell in a single day, so Alonso began the day and Stroll’s makes an attempt to drive within the afternoon have been curtailed after 34 laps as he continued to battle, with Alonso returning to the automotive.
The morning had additionally seen disruption for Haas, as a part of the engine cowl flew off whereas Oliver Bearman was on the pit straight. It was a giant piece of bodywork that indifferent and the second time it wanted addressing this week following the same concern in the course of the group’s filming day. The momentary repair compromised nearly all of its morning working, however Esteban Ocon managed over 100 laps within the afternoon alone and ended up with the eighth-fastest time.
You don’t see this fairly often 👀
A part of Ollie Bearman’s engine cowl comes off mid-lap 😵#F1Testing #F1 pic.twitter.com/dB7zw6gNco
— Components 1 (@F1) February 28, 2025
Headline lap instances provide little in the way in which of a aggressive image — even with some sunshine offering the most effective situations of a tough week — and though Oscar Piastri was close to the highest with a 1m29.940s, it was one other robust race simulation that implies McLaren is in place heading into the brand new season.
Pierre Gasly was fifth quickest and simply 0.1s off Piastri, with Alpine additionally having fun with a strong week of working, a giant enchancment on 12 months in the past when the group struggled firstly of the season.
