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Valtteri Bottas (31) keeps Hamilton’s replacement George Russell (22) under control in Bahrain. However, he is only a very slim class ahead of the rookie Mercedes, who has never finished in championship points. 0.026 seconds separate the Finn from the young Briton in qualifying. Third is Max Verstappen, just 0.056 seconds behind Bottas.
Russell defeated, but satisfied
Formula 1 fans wondered if George Russell could outsmart the usual Mercedes driver Bottas in the first duel at eye level. In the two practices on Friday he was already driving faster. And in his previous 36 Formula 1 appearances at the Williams, Russell won all of his 36 internal qualifying matches (2019 vs. Kubica, 2020 vs. Latifi).
So Russell just doesn’t make it, he loses a qualifying match for the first time. Of course, he’s still happy: “I never thought I could start in the front row.”
To do this, Russell, who is 11 centimeters taller than Hamilton, really has to get into the car, says Saturday afternoon: “Because of my size and my feet too long, I also have to suffer, I have bruises and bruises.” . World champion Lewis Hamilton is currently suffering in bed (VIEW reported).
Hamilton’s message to Russell
Hamilton is currently said to have moderate corona symptoms. The 95 GP winner has remained silent in relation to the public in recent days.
Not so with his understudy and compatriot Russell. Hamilton wrote to him from isolation: “Good luck and take care of my car.”
White Vest by Verstappen
As George Russell loses a qualifying match for the first time, Max Verstappen (23) clearly beats his Red Bull teammate Alex Albon (24) again: 16: 0! Verstappen starts Sunday from the second row behind the two Mercedes: Albon didn’t even make it to Q3, Turn 12.
Verstappen on qualifying: “Mercedes made three attempts in the final, I gave it my all, it was close. But only because the slope is very short. “So the Dutchman is already looking at the GP and says that the tire strategy is interesting. He has to start with soft tires on Sunday (departure at 6.10pm CET) like almost all the other drivers front, only not the two Mercedes.
Mercedes is taking advantage
Both Valtteri Bottas and George Russell reached the qualifying final on medium tires, so they will start the race on these tires on Sunday. A two-stop strategy is expected for the 87 laps. The other eight top ten riders chose the soft tires.
Ferrari mechanic under stress
Welding work on Sebastian Vettel’s car after the 3rd training session: the red mechanics had to change the engine quickly and they managed to do it until qualifying. Because an old engine was reinstalled, there is no relocation.
So the four-time world champion (2010-2013) could focus on qualifying. However, Vettel fails in Q2, for the thirteenth time this season he missed the top 10.
Teammate Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, is brilliant! La Monegasse starts fourth alongside Verstappen in the second row.
Giovinazzi equals Raikkonen
Antonio Giovinazzi survived Q1 for the third time in the sixteenth race of the season, while his teammate Kimi Räikkönen was eliminated in 19th place, behind Latifi’s two Williamses and Russell’s replacement, Aitken. In the Alfa-Sauber loss match, the Italian drew the 2007 world champion at 8: 8.
In Q2, Giovinazzi has little chance at the Sakhir mini circuit, but leaves McLaren driver Lando Norris (15th) in 14th place.
The newly defeated in the stable duel
At Williams, Russell substitute Jack Aitken (25) has to admit defeat to temporary partner Nicolas Latifi. In 18th place, the Briton is just under a tenth of a second behind Latifi, who qualified 17th and won a qualifying match for the first time in Formula 1. He lost all of the previous 15 to Russell.
At Haas Ferrari, Kevin Magnussen is 16th, last to replace Grosjean, Pietro Fittipaldi (24). In his debut in Formula 1 he lost more than seven tenths of a second to the Dane.
Alfa-Sauber also has a Fittipaldi
Pietro Fittipaldi would have been relocated anyway due to a battery and electronics change. The Brazilian-American is the grandson of two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi (1972 and 1974).
Beat Zehnder, Sporting Director of Alfa-Sauber, adds in BLICK: “Pietro Fittipaldi’s Uncle Emo (Emerson Jr., 13 years old) is at our academy and drives junior karts.”
So it goes
The second Bahrain GP of this season and the penultimate one this year will begin on Sunday at 6.30 p.m. (CET). On the modified route, which is only 3.5 km long and resembles a Formula 1 helmet. 87 laps are driven.
Teamchef Frédéric Vasseur: “Giovinazzi’s 14th place is a good result that allows us to fight for the top 10 from the start of Sunday. Unfortunately, Kimi Raikkonen was eliminated in a challenging Q1. Today I had a good feeling in the car. “
Kimi raikkonen: “After the not bad third training session, this is not the result we expected.”
Antonio Giovinazzi: “We were in the right place at the right time, for me it was very good quality.”
