Based on the results of the first day, we might think that this is the case, but it would be a great shame to draw any serious conclusions from the results on Wednesday.
In a session that did not start in ideal conditions, Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the first to take to the track and the morning also ended with him taking the lead. The unusually cold weather in Bahrain, strong winds, an air temperature of 15 degrees and a track temperature of 25 degrees greeted the test teams, and these values did not improve during the day. On the low-grip track, several drivers slipped, most visibly Liam Lawson losing control, even spinning at the wheel of the Red Bull. Even so, the RB rookie was good for second place, overtaking Alexander Albon by the lunch break.
In the afternoon, there were changes and other complications, and in the second stage, Max Verstappen and George Russell also got into the cars, who immediately started attacking the time set by Antonelli, and Russell also beat him. However, this did not last long, as another racer, Charles Leclerc, arrived and took the lead. But before the other drivers could start attacking him, there was an interruption with a red flag for an unusual reason. The track was hit by a power outage, which blocked further work for almost an hour. During this time, some precipitation also arrived in Bahrain and the track cooled down further, but this did not prevent Lando Norris from finishing in the lead ahead of Russell and Verstappen after a lap.
Photo: F1/Getty Images
