The collective test days resumed today in Bahrain, where a Williams was the fastest, ahead of the two Ferraris.
The weather wasn't at its best on Thursday either, with a cloudy and slightly rainy track welcoming the field. George Russell, however, quickly improved on the previous day's best time, and then Lewis Hamilton took the lead. In the second hour, a surprise occurred: precipitation of such intensity that it was impossible to continue work. The reason was rather ridiculous: the teams weren't equipped with rain tires (WTF??)
After the enforced break, Hamilton increased his pace further, allowing him to set the fastest time of the morning. This lap was only bettered by one person, Carlos Sainz, who had already been closest to Hamilton during the morning stage, finishing the day on the same compound as the Briton. Sainz, incidentally, had an extremely productive day, driving the Williams alone and completing 120 laps without any problems. The same could not be said for Liam Lawson, who also completed a full day, but struggled greatly with the technical side of Red Bull, and there are still issues regarding his confidence. McLaren "let it slide" this day, with last year's constructors' champion appearing to be working on something else rather than chasing times, instead focusing on the long stages.
Photo: F1
