Russell Sets Bahrain Test Pace Dips Below 1:34 Barrier

Formula 1 kicked off the final test day of the first week in Bahrain. The morning session, largely devoted to mileage for the drivers, has now finished. Liam Lawson logged the most trips across the start-finish line at the Bahrain International Circuit, closely shadowed by George Russell, who clawed back precious running time for Mercedes. The Brit also posted the outright quickest lap: 1:33.918. Russell was the first driver to dip under the 1:34.000 mark.

At exactly 07:00 UTC the lights went green in Bahrain, and Lewis Hamilton was the first driver out on track. The Brit had not been impressed with the SF-26 after the first test day last Wednesday, even likening the new car to a GP2 machine. Hamilton was quickly joined by Lance Stroll, who on Thursday painted a bleak picture for Aston Martin in 2026. According to the Canadian, the AMR26 is approximately four seconds slower than the top teams’ cars.

Within the first hour of the morning session George Russell erased Thursday’s benchmark – which had been set by Charles Leclerc. The Mercedes driver posted a 1:34.075, roughly two-tenths faster than the Monegasque the day before. Ten minutes later Friday’s first red flag was waved: Valtteri Bottas stopped in his Cadillac in sector two. His team-mate Sergio Pérez had suffered the same issue 24 hours earlier. The Finn did not return to the track until about two hours later.

Russell posts fastest time

Alongside quick lap times, drivers on the final day of the first test week in Bahrain also ran race simulations. Russell was the first to get underway, and it was notable that the Briton’s opening race sim didn’t beat the long runs produced by Leclerc and Verstappen earlier in the week. Russell did, however, become the first driver in Bahrain to dip below 1:34.000, stopping the clocks at 1:33.918.

With no further red flags in the morning session and the gusts that had troubled drivers on Thursday having eased, everyone was able to rack up valuable miles. Liam Lawson completed the most laps on Friday morning — the New Zealander crossed the start-finish 84 times — closely followed by Russell on 78 circuits. Verstappen ran 61 laps at the Bahrain International Circuit in the morning of the third test day before handing the RB22 back to team-mate Isack Hadjar.