George Russell went just 0.021s faster than Max Verstappen during late runs on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, as Ferrari’s week ended early due to a car problem.
Lewis Hamilton had been set to complete a race simulation on Friday afternoon but managed just 47 laps — some on lower fuel — before he returned to the garage and his car was taken apart. That meant he missed out on a busy final hour when rivals used the C3 compound tire to set their quickest times of the day, with Russell posting a 1m29.545s in the closing stages and taking Mercedes to the highest lap count of the week with 458.
It had been Verstappen on top prior to that, the defending champion one of two drivers to complete a full day’s running, although he managed just 81 laps. Running a new Red Bull nose, Verstappen did not complete a race simulation, and the team ended the week with the lowest mileage of the entire grid, as four drivers exceeded the Dutchman’s total for the day in the afternoon session alone.
Alex Albon was the other to spend all day in the car at Williams, and he concluded the team’s encouraging week with the third-fastest time. That followed teammate Carlos Sainz topping the standings on day two, and Sainz’s lap of 1m29.348s stood as the fastest overall lap of the test.
The main caveat to Albon’s position — beyond differences in fuel loads and engine modes — was the fact he used the softer C4 compound tire for his best lap, compared to the C3 for the rest of the field. The lap count from Albon was strong, however, as he managed 135 laps to close out the test, especially given the number of interruptions that were seen on the final day.
Prior to the lunch break, a bizarre delay occurred when a pane of glass fell from the starters’ box that overhangs the pit straight. The smashed glass on the track required cleaning up, but quick work from the trackside personnel limited the initial interruption to around 10 minutes.
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴
Debris on the start/finish straight – looks like a pane of glass from the starter’s booth has fallen onto the track #F1Testing #F1 pic.twitter.com/Fi4UOHCAap
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 28, 2025
The restart came too soon, however, with the track going green with a quad bike — pulling a circuit cleaning device — still returning to its original station. Only Fernando Alonso made it out of the pits before the red flag returned, with the Aston Martin driver having to come straight back in before the session could resume.
There was another short but strange delay after lunch, when a red flag was thrown in response to a bus using part of the Turn 10 run-off area. The shuttle bus never made it onto the track itself as it cut behind the barrier, but it was in the firing line for a spell should any car have had an issue at Turn 9.
After that point, the drama was confined to team garages, with Ferrari far from the only ones dealing with an issue in the afternoon. Aston Martin had to go through its second driver change of the day because of Lance Stroll suffering from an illness. Stroll had been due to drive in the morning session but felt unwell overnight, so Alonso started the day and Stroll’s attempts to drive in the afternoon were curtailed after 34 laps as he continued to struggle, with Alonso returning to the car.
The morning had also seen disruption for Haas, as part of the engine cover flew off while Oliver Bearman was on the pit straight. It was a big piece of bodywork that detached and the second time it needed addressing this week following a similar issue during the team’s filming day. The temporary fix compromised the majority of its morning running, but Esteban Ocon managed over 100 laps in the afternoon alone and ended up with the eighth-fastest time.
You don’t see this very often 👀
Part of Ollie Bearman’s engine cover comes off mid-lap 😵#F1Testing #F1 pic.twitter.com/dB7zw6gNco
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 28, 2025
Headline lap times offer little in the way of a competitive picture — even with some sunshine providing the best conditions of a tricky week — and although Oscar Piastri was near the top with a 1m29.940s, it was another strong race simulation that suggests McLaren is in a good position heading into the new season.
Pierre Gasly was fifth quickest and just 0.1s off Piastri, with Alpine also enjoying a solid week of running, a big improvement on 12 months ago when the team struggled at the start of the season.
