Mercedes begins pre-season testing in Bahrain with serenity

The W16 touched down for the first time in an official session in Bahrain, the day after its shakedown. George Russell, at the wheel of the latest car from the factory of Brackley, took to the track in the afternoon after teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli had completed the first half of the day. The British driver completed a total of 70 laps, recording a time of 1:31, which placed him in fifth position at the end of the day. While no conclusions should be drawn on the car’s performance, George expressed his satisfaction after a positive half-day. “It was nice to start getting my bearings with the car and putting in some laps. We’ve made good progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”, he said, satisfied with the work accomplished.

Despite some unforeseen events, including a major power outage that interrupted testing for over an hour, Mercedes remained focused on its programme. The session was extended to compensate for this loss of time, allowing engineers and drivers to continue to refine the car's set-up.

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A disrupted but productive day

"It is still too early to judge the performances, especially with cooler than usual conditions in Bahrain, but we are satisfied with our work," added Russell, after having had a few drops of rain in the afternoon. In the morning, his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli had set the fastest time of the half-day, completing 78 laps. “I really enjoyed getting behind the wheel of the W16 and following our programme.” the Italian rejoiced. “It was great to start getting to know the car and getting some laps in. We’ve made good progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do over the next two days. I’m looking forward to getting back on track tomorrow.”

In terms of performance, McLaren dominated the day with Lando Norris who posted the fastest time in 1:30.430. George Russell finished in second place, followed by Max Verstappen et Charles Leclerc. Mercedes can therefore leave this first day with valuable lessons that will need to be refined in the days to come.

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Can't get enough of the W16 😍 pic.twitter.com/UxkXaNmM9Y

—Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 26, 2025