Bahrain F1 test: Antonelli and Mercedes fastest on Day 5

Mercedes continued to set the pace on Thursday at the Bahrain International Circuit, with Kimi Antonelli ending the second day of the week’s running at the top of the timesheets.

The young Italian produced the quickest lap seen so far in this phase of pre-season, underlining the team’s strong form after George Russell led Wednesday’s action.

Antonelli climbed aboard in the afternoon and logged an impressive 79 laps. His headline effort – a 1m32.803s – arrived during a late qualifying-style run, edging out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just fractions.

McLaren and Red Bull in the Hunt

Piastri had briefly looked set to finish the day fastest after surging to P1 in the second hour of the afternoon. His 1m32.861s lap displaced team-mate Lando Norris, who had set the benchmark in the morning session with a 1m33.453s and racked up 72 tours.

The Australian’s afternoon featured a minor hiccup when his McLaren stopped on track shortly after a practice start simulation. However, he was able to rejoin and continue his programme.

Max Verstappen showed consistent pace for Red Bull, topping the early stages of the afternoon before settling for third overall by day’s end. The reigning world champion was among the busiest drivers, amassing a hefty 138 laps.

Just behind him came Lewis Hamilton, who rebounded from a disrupted morning – caused by a chassis issue – to complete 78 laps and vault into fourth with a late improvement.

Midfield Margins and Mileage

Norris ended the day fifth overall, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto slotted into sixth. Nico Hulkenberg led Audi’s charge in seventh, ahead of Russell, Haas driver Esteban Ocon and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, who completed the top 10.

Further down the order, Alex Albon placed 11th for Williams. Gabriel Bortoleto, Ollie Bearman and Sergio Perez followed, with Fernando Alonso classified 15th.

The afternoon was briefly halted when Alonso’s Aston Martin ground to a halt at Turn 4. Although the car was swiftly recovered, the Spaniard did not return to action, ending the day with just 68 laps completed.

Valtteri Bottas was 16th after his running was curtailed by an early issue, limiting his overall mileage.

Pre-season preparations in Bahrain conclude on Friday, with teams returning to the track from 7am GMT for the final day of testing.

Bahrain Test - Day 5: Final session times