Based on the results of the first day, we might believe this, but it would be a shame to draw any serious conclusions from Wednesday's results.
The first to take to the track in the session, which started in less than ideal conditions, was Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished the morning with the lead. Unusually cool weather prevailed in Bahrain, with strong winds, 15 degrees of air, and a track temperature of 25, and these values did not improve during the day. Several people slid on the low-grip track, most notably Liam Lawson, who lost control and spun behind the wheel of his Red Bull. Despite this, the RB “rookie” was still good for second place, ahead of Alexander Albon until the lunch break.
In the afternoon, the substitutions and further complications came, in the second stage Max Verstappen and George Russell got into the car, who immediately started to attack the time set by Antonelli, the latter even beating it. Of course, this did not last long, because another driver, Charles Leclerc, came and took the lead. But before the other drivers could start attacking him, a red flag interruption occurred for an unusual reason. A power outage hit the track, which blocked further work for almost an hour. During this time, some precipitation also arrived in Bahrain, and the track also cooled down further, but this did not prevent Lando Norris from running the day's lap and finally finishing in the lead ahead of Russell and Verstappen.
Photo: F1/Getty Images
