George Russell Tops Bahrain Test Day with Fastest Lap

The first test day of week two in Bahrain has finished. George Russell posted the day’s outright best time at the Bahrain International Circuit. With a 1:33.459 he was a hundredth quicker than Oscar Piastri. The Brit also completed more laps than anyone else, crossing the start-finish line 76 times. The afternoon went far less smoothly for Aston Martin and Ferrari. Lance Stroll triggered the only red flag of the day after spinning off, while Lewis Hamilton spent a long spell waiting in the garage as Ferrari worked on the SF-26.

Unlike the morning session, the Formula 1 teams didn’t rush to hit the track at the start of the afternoon run. In the end it was Haas again who opened the action, Oliver Bearman now installed in the VF-26. Not long after, Isack Hadjar joined the circuit. The French‑Algerian had spent most of the morning in the garage when Red Bull were dealing with an issue on the RB22’s water system.

Stroll causes first red flag

Soon after, Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton followed, the pair taking over the cars from team‑mates Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc respectively. They didn’t immediately match their team‑mates’ early pace. The lock-ups that plagued the morning carried on into the afternoon at the Bahrain circuit, with both George Russell and Lance Stroll suffering wheel lock. For Stroll it resulted in a spin and a run into the gravel, forcing the day’s first red flag while the AMR26 was recovered.

Ten minutes after Stroll’s spin the session was back underway. Carlos Sainz, Isack Hadjar and Oscar Piastri were the first drivers to return, while Valtteri Bottas in the Cadillac was still awaited. Near the end of the second hour the Finn finally appeared on track. Piastri pushed Charles Leclerc off the top of the timesheets, the Australian putting in a 1:33.469 — nearly three‑tenths quicker than the Monegasque. Ferrari, however, had bigger concerns about the SF-26 itself: Hamilton’s garage was screened off while the Scuderia worked on the car.

Aston Martin and Ferrari back on track

Aston Martin managed, towards the end of the third hour of the afternoon session, to send Lance Stroll back out in a repaired AMR26. In the final hour Lewis Hamilton was also able to return to the circuit after ninety minutes in the garage. George Russell meanwhile dipped under Piastri’s best, posting a 1:33.459. The Brit was roughly one-hundredth quicker than the Australian. Russell also logged the most laps of the afternoon session — no fewer than 76 trips across the start-finish line for the Mercedes driver. The session ended with, as the FIA had already announced, a test of a revised start procedure. Because every driver took part in that procedure it also produced some genuine race action on track.

The full Wednesday result in Bahrain after the afternoon session