Hamilton's Late Drama: Mercedes Makes Waves at Bahrain Test!
In a thrilling turn of events at the Bahrain test, Kimi Antonelli emerged as the star of the day, clocking the fastest lap for Mercedes amid a flurry of late drama that saw Lewis Hamilton trigger a red flag. The Italian prodigy faced a rocky start, limited to just three laps on Day 2 due to a critical power unit change. With Hamilton on the sidelines, George Russell took charge in the morning session, dazzling fans with a blistering lap time of 1:33.918, completing an impressive 78 laps and putting the pressure on rivals Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
As the afternoon unfolded, Russell's pace was soon overshadowed by Antonelli, who finally hit the track and wasted no time showcasing his speed. After initially struggling to find his footing, he swiftly climbed the ranks, ultimately snatching the top spot with a stunning lap time of 1:33.900—just 0.018 seconds faster than Russell. But Antonelli wasn’t done yet; he pushed the envelope even further, shattering his own record with a jaw-dropping 1:33.669, leaving Russell trailing by a quarter of a second.
Amidst the excitement, Hamilton, who had worked tirelessly to complete nearly 150 laps, found himself in third place—half a second behind the leaders. However, the drama took a twist in the final moments as a breakdown from the Ferrari team brought the session to a halt. The car stopped unexpectedly at the bottom of the hill by Turn 8, leading to speculation that it might have simply run dry during a routine test.
With just seven and a half minutes left on the clock, the session resumed under Virtual Safety Car (VSC) conditions as the FIA conducted vital system checks. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri put on a show for McLaren, logging an impressive 153 laps—nearly triple the distance of a typical race!
As the dust settled, Isack Hadjar slotted into sixth place behind Verstappen, while Esteban Ocon, Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman, and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10. Other notable performances came from Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Perez, with Lawson being the first to surpass the 100-lap mark, finishing the day with a commendable 119 laps.
Stay tuned as the Bahrain test continues to unfold, and the battle for supremacy heats up! Who will emerge victorious in this high-octane showdown? The excitement is palpable, and the stakes are higher than ever!






