Sakhir GP: Russell quickest in first session with Mercedes
George Russell set the pace in his first Mercedes appearance during opening practice for the Sakhir Grand Prix as drivers got a first taste of the Bahrain outer loop layout.
After being named as Lewis Hamilton's replacement for the race weekend following the seven-time world champion's positive test for COVID-19, Russell wasted little time in making an impression in the Mercedes W11 car.
Russell sat nine tenths of a second behind teammate Valtteri Bottas's fastest laptime following the early soft tyre runs in FP1, only to find plenty of time during the second runs.
Russell was able to find more than a second after pitting for a fresh set of soft tyres, allowing him to move up to top spot before Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon both took a turn at the head of the timesheets.
But a further improvement from Russell saw him set a time of 54.546s, taking top spot by almost two tenths of a second in the final classification.
The British driver was regularly in conversation with race engineer Pete Bonnington throughout the session, reporting some discomfort with his seat around his shoulders at one point.
Verstappen was able to finish the session in second place for Red Bull, lapping 0.176 seconds slower than Russell, while teammate Albon held on for third place in the sister RB16 car, albeit with a spin exiting Turn 2.
Bottas was left to settle for fourth place in the second Mercedes W11, finishing more than three tenths of a second off Russell's benchmark. Bottas suffered multiple lock-ups in the session that saw him go wide at Turn 1, prompting the Finn to say he was "not sure what's going on" over team radio.
AlphaTauri impressed to lead the midfield teams as Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly finished fifth and sixth respectively. Gasly was forced to pit at one point due to a broken mirror, momentarily causing him to drive one-handed as he used the other to stop the bodywork from falling off.
Esteban Ocon took seventh for Renault ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, with their respective teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Leclerc completing the top 10.
Leclerc was one of a number of drivers to struggle with traffic on a push lap, coming across a slow-going Vettel at the exit of Turn 8, and also had a wide moment at Turn 5 earlier in the session, taking a trip through the gravel.
Racing Point drivers Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez finished 11th and 12th ahead of McLaren's Carlos Sainz, who lost some time midway through the session due to bodywork damage caused by the bumpy outer loop part of the track.
Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi were 14th and 15th fastest for Alfa Romeo, leading McLaren's Lando Norris, with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and Nicholas Latifi of Williams following in the final classification.
Pietro Fittipaldi made his bow as Romain Grosjean's stand-in at Haas, finishing the session 19th, but was forced to cut short his running due to a lock-up that flat-spotted his tyres, leaving him with just 24 laps in the books.
Fellow debutant Jack Aitken propped up the timesheets in 20th for Williams as he got up to speed as Russell's replacement.
Despite spinning briefly at Turn 2 early in the session, Aitken ended up lapping just four-tenths of a second shy of Latifi in the sister car.
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  George Russell |  | Mercedes | 49 | 54.546 | |
| 2 |  Max Verstappen |  | Red Bull | 29 | 54.722 | 0.176 |
| 3 |  Alex Albon |  | Red Bull | 18 | 54.811 | 0.265 |
| 4 |  Valtteri Bottas |  | Mercedes | 44 | 54.868 | 0.322 |
| 5 |  Daniil Kvyat |  | AlphaTauri | 40 | 55.011 | 0.465 |
| 6 |  Pierre Gasly |  | AlphaTauri | 37 | 55.166 | 0.620 |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon |  | Renault | 49 | 55.273 | 0.727 |
| 8 |  Sebastian Vettel |  | Ferrari | 40 | 55.281 | 0.735 |
| 9 |  Daniel Ricciardo |  | Renault | 39 | 55.379 | 0.833 |
| 10 |  Charles Leclerc |  | Ferrari | 35 | 55.449 | 0.903 |
| 11 |  Lance Stroll |  | Racing Point | 41 | 55.558 | 1.012 |
| 12 |  Sergio Perez |  | Racing Point | 33 | 55.716 | 1.170 |
| 13 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. |  | McLaren | 41 | 55.757 | 1.211 |
| 14 | Kimi Raikkonen |  | Alfa Romeo | 32 | 55.783 | 1.237 |
| 15 |  Antonio Giovinazzi |  | Alfa Romeo | 35 | 55.858 | 1.312 |
| 16 | Lando Norris | | McLaren | 47 | 56.078 | 1.532 |
| 17 |  Kevin Magnussen |  | Haas | 37 | 56.130 | 1.584 |
| 18 | Nicholas Latifi |  | Williams | 48 | 56.764 | 2.218 |
| 19 |  Pietro Fittipaldi |  | Haas | 24 | 57.077 | 2.531 |
| 20 | Jack Aitken |  | Williams | 33 | 57.187 | 2.641 |
| View full results | ||||||
Related video
Previous article
McLaren: No doubt Sainz can't test for Ferrari in Abu Dhabi
Next article
Leclerc "could bet on a win" by Russell at Mercedes
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Sakhir GP |
| Sub-event | FP1 |
| Author | Luke Smith |
Sebastian Vettel explains why Aston Martin
Aston Martin AMR21 Unveiling
The updates Williams hopes will lead to a point-scoring return
After producing a car which demonstrated progress but lacked the points to prove it last year, Williams starts its new era of team ownership with the FW43B, its bid to continue the climb up the Formula 1 grid in 2021
How Ferrari plans to recover from its 2020 F1 nightmare
The 2020 Formula 1 season was Ferrari's worst for 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the standings. A repeat performance will not be acceptable for the proud Italian team, which has adopted a notably pragmatic approach to forging its path back to the top
Why Aston Martin’s arrival is more than just new green livery
In the most eagerly anticipated Formula 1 team launch of the season, the rebranded Aston Martin squad’s changes go much further than the striking paint job. But rather than a restart, the team hopes to build on top of solid foundations.
The car Aston Martin begins its new F1 journey with
The team formerly known as Racing Point gambled successfully on a Mercedes look-alike in 2020 as it mounted a strong challenge for third in the constructors' race and won the Sakhir GP. Now clothed in British racing green, Aston Martin's first Formula 1 challenger since 1960 provides the clearest indicator yet of what to expect from the new-for-2021 regulations
The tricky driver conundrums facing Mercedes in F1 2021
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, reigning world champions Mercedes will take on challenges both old and new. This also can be said for its driver conundrum which could become key to sustaining its ongoing success...
How Alpine's cure to 2021 F1 rules starts at the front
A new name, new faces and new colours pulls the rebranded Alpine Formula 1 team into a new era while carrying over core elements of its 2020 car. But under the surface there's more than meets the eye with the A521 which hints at how the team will tackle 2021...
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat
The pointed note that starts Ferrari's Leclerc vs Sainz era
Ferrari is starting its post-Sebastian Vettel age by welcoming Carlos Sainz in alongside Charles Leclerc. But while Sainz has a tough challenge to match his new teammate, Ferrari is also sending a message that previous intra-team spats must end
