George Russell delivered the quickest lap of the entire Bahrain pre-season test so far as he topped the mid-day standings on Day 3, giving Mercedes a much-needed boost after a difficult past two days.
The Briton steadily lowered the benchmark through the morning, eventually producing a 1:33.918 that remained untouched by the time the session reached its lunch break.
After reliability worries hampered their earlier running this week, Mercedes looked far more composed. Russell not only set the pace but also logged heavy mileage, underlining a clear shift toward stability and consistency.
Hot on his heels was Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari, whose best effort of 1:34.209 kept the Scuderia firmly in close contention. Both leading times dipped below Thursday’s quickest lap, signalling improved track conditions and more aggressive performance runs across the field.
Cadillac Troubles Trigger Red Flag
While the frontrunners traded fast laps, disruption struck once again for Cadillac. A stoppage involving Valtteri Bottas inside the opening hour briefly halted proceedings with a red flag, echoing the squad’s earlier issues in the week when Sergio Perez encountered problems.
Marshals cleared the car swiftly, allowing the session to resume with minimal delay, but Bottas spent extended time in the garage before returning only for short installation runs.
The interruption did little to slow the overall pace trend, however, as teams continued to push toward their most competitive times of the test so far.
Bahrain test - Day 3: Sessions results mid-day
| # | Driver | Team | Gap | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | — | — | 1:33.918 | 21 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | — | +0.291 | 1:34.209 | 14 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | — | +1.423 | 1:35.341 | 10 |
| 4 | Oliver Bearman | — | +2.054 | 1:35.972 | 15 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | — | +2.472 | 1:36.390 | 15 |
| 6 | Franco Colapinto | — | +2.956 | 1:36.874 | 16 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | — | +3.268 | 1:37.186 | 35 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | — | +3.320 | 1:37.238 | 18 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | — | +3.618 | 1:37.536 | 8 |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | — | +4.505 | 1:38.423 | 12 |
| 11 | Valtteri Bottas | — | +4.854 | 1:38.772 | 15 |
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