Lewis Hamilton set the pace in Thursday’s practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two with teammate George Russell close behind. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso trailed just behind in third place.
Hamilton’s time was 0.206 seconds faster than Russell, with Alonso a mere 0.08 seconds further adrift. Max Verstappen, the pre-season favorite, finished sixth, 0.477 seconds off the pace.
Although Hamilton appeared to be the fastest during race-simulation runs later in the session, the teams approached the practice differently, making it challenging to interpret performance accurately.
Behind Alonso, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz secured the fourth-fastest time, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Nico Hulkenberg of Haas took seventh place, with Lance Stroll of Aston Martin, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, and Sergio Perez of Red Bull completing the top 10.
Hamilton expressed satisfaction with the car’s performance but acknowledged the need for further improvement, particularly in long-run pace compared to Red Bull.
Russell echoed Hamilton’s sentiments, emphasizing the importance of not getting carried away after one day of practice. While their qualifying pace looked promising, Russell highlighted the competitiveness among several teams, indicating a challenging fight ahead.
The Bahrain Grand Prix kicks off amidst lingering controversy surrounding Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, whose recent dismissal of a complaint by a female colleague has sparked calls from Mercedes and McLaren for greater transparency on the matter.