Antonelli Leads Mercedes One-Two as First Bahrain Test Concludes

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli silenced the doubters on Friday, setting the fastest time of the week to lead a Silver Arrows one-two finish as the first pre-season testing event concluded in Bahrain. The Italian teenager clocked a 1m 33.669s in the twilight conditions, edging out team-mate George Russell by 0.249s.

It was a vital confidence boost following a disjointed week. After reliability struggles defined day three, where Antonelli was sidelined by power unit issues, the youngster finally demonstrated the W17’s potential.

Antonelli’s appearance was delayed by an hour, but he wasted little time once out on track. He snatched the top spot from Russell with a series of performance runs as temperatures dropped. Despite the pace, Russell admitted the week was a “reality check” compared to their Barcelona shakedown, noting the team still has work to do before the season opener.

Piastri’s marathon stint

While the two Mercedes drivers chased lap time, McLaren focused on relentless durability. Oscar Piastri was the day’s iron man, completing a staggering 156 laps, the highest single-day total for any driver. The Australian spent the afternoon on high-fuel race simulations, suggesting the reigning champions have built a reliable platform in the MCL40.

Hamilton stops on track

It was a positive day for Ferrari until the final moments. Lewis Hamilton triggered a red flag when he parked on track after 150 laps. Paddock sources suggested it was likely a planned fuel system check rather than a mechanical failure.

Elsewhere, Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto both cleared 100 laps, making up for lost time earlier in the week. Colapinto also had a bit of a moment on the formation lap on the main straight, and then stopped after his start.

Teams now have a few days to analyse the data before returning to Sakhir for the final test next week.