Based on the first day's result, one might even believe that, but it would be a shame to draw more serious conclusions from Wednesday's results.
In less than ideal conditions, practice began with Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was the first to take to the track, and the morning session also ended with his victory. Bahrain experienced unusually cool conditions, with strong winds, an air temperature of 15 degrees, and a track temperature of 25 degrees, which the test teams encountered, and these temperatures did not improve over the course of the day. Several drivers slid on the low-grip track, most spectacularly Liam Lawson losing control and spinning behind the wheel of the Red Bull. Nevertheless, the RB "rookie" was good enough for second place, overtaking Alexander Albon by the lunch break.
In the afternoon, changes and new complications came. In the second session, Max Verstappen and George Russell also got into the car and immediately began to challenge Antonelli's time, with the latter also beating it. This did not last long, however, as another driver, Charles Leclerc, took the lead. Before the other drivers could challenge him, however, a red flag appeared for an unusual reason. A power outage hit the track, blocking further work for almost an hour. During this time, some rain also arrived in Bahrain and the track continued to cool, but this did not bother Lando Norris, who, after completing the day's lap, finally finished in the lead ahead of Russell and Verstappen.
Photo: F1/Getty Images
