Mercedes positions itself as the leader of the chasing pack: the words of Russell and Antonelli.

Happy Friday from Mercedes, with Russell finishing third and Antonelli in fifth.

Mercedes looked strong in the second free practice session in Bahrain. Despite an untouchable McLaren both on single-lap pace and in race simulations—the two Silver Arrows had a solid session. George Russell ended up as the best of the rest (half a second behind), while Kimi Antonelli took fifth place and immediately felt comfortable on the Sakhir circuit.

At the end of the session, both drivers confirmed the positive feeling and presented Mercedes as the strongest team behind McLaren. Here’s what they had to say, starting with Russell: “FP2 went well. We expected McLaren to be a step ahead, and that’s what we saw. They were the strongest in sector two, where the tyres overheat, so we know we’ve got a bit of work to do if we want to challenge them. Honestly, I think we’re in a position to fight for the best result behind them.

I think it’s going to be a tight battle between us, Ferrari, and Red Bull. It’s hard to say for sure, but we’ve seen both teams performing really well at different times today. Unlike other races, I believe this one won’t be decided in Qualifying. Race pace and tyre degradation will be crucial. Of course, a good Qualifying is important, but the real battle will be on Sunday.”

Antonelli wasn’t far behind, finishing fifth as mentioned earlier. The young Italian driver has a clear goal for tomorrow’s Qualifying. He said: “The situation was different compared to testing, so I had to adapt. But overall, I think that despite the issue in FP1, it was still a positive day. Knowing the track definitely helped me. Probably at Suzuka it wouldn’t have been so easy, but in FP2 I immediately had good confidence with the car, and even though the track is quite different, I managed to push well on the flying lap.

Well, McLaren still looks like the favorite, but I think a top 5 in Qualifying is possible tomorrow. We can definitely fight Red Bull and Ferrari, but McLaren seems a bit out of reach for now. We’ll wait and see tomorrow.”

Photo: X Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team