Based on the results of the first day, we might even think so, but it would be a great shame to draw more serious conclusions from the results of Wednesday.
In a training session that began in less than ideal conditions, the first to take to the track was Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who ended the morning maintaining his lead. Temperatures in Bahrain were unusually cool, with strong winds, 15 degrees in the air and 25 degrees on the track to welcome the test teams, and these values did not improve throughout the day. On the low-grip track, several drivers struggled, including Liam Lawson, who lost control and ended up in a spin in the Red Bull. Despite this, the RB rookie still took second place, overtaking Alexander Albon until the lunch break.
Substitutions and new complications arrived in the afternoon; in the second session, Max Verstappen and George Russell also came on board, immediately starting to put pressure on Antonelli's time, and Russell managed to beat him. However, this did not last long, as another driver, Charles Leclerc, took the lead. But before the other drivers could start attacking him, a red flag interruption followed for unusual reasons. A power cut hit the track, stopping work for almost an hour. During this time, some rain also arrived in Bahrain, and the track cooled further, but all this did not stop Lando Norris from completing the lap and finishing in the lead ahead of Russell and Verstappen.
Photo: F1/Getty Images
