George Russell: Our rivals are Ferrari and Verstappen

      George Russell clocked the third time in the second practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix, losing only to rivals from McLaren. The British racing driver believes that this weekend Mercedes will compete with Ferrari and Red Bull Racing for the right to become the second best team.

      His teammate Kimi Antonelli actually missed the first training session due to problems with the intercooler, and in the second session he showed the fifth time.

      Frederick Vesti returned to the Formula 1 car for the first time since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2023 as part of the official race weekend, replacing George Russell in the first practice session.

      George Russell (3rd): "We expected McLaren to be one step ahead, and today we saw that. They are much faster in the second sector, where the tires are prone to overheating. We know that we have a lot of work to do, but I think we are able to compete for the right to become the second best team.

      The Ferrari also looks good enough, but they couldn't drive the last sector properly. I think this weekend the fight will be between us, Ferrari and Max Verstappen, but I do not know who will be in front.

      This weekend will be different from the last three Grands Prix, where almost everything was decided in qualifying. In Bahrain, everything will depend on the race pace and the degradation of the rubber. Of course, I want to qualify highly, but the main struggle lies in the race."

      Kimi Antonelli (5th): "Unfortunately, there were problems with the intercooler in the first practice session, and I had to stop. I couldn't get back on track until the end of the session, which is a shame because I don't want to waste time.

      The second session turned out to be quite positive. The speed on one lap is quite good, but I made a big mistake in the first sector. Overall, I'm quite comfortable in the car, although there are some difficulties on the long series.

      The conditions are different from those that were during the tests, so I had to adapt. Nevertheless, despite the problems in the first session, the day still turned out to be positive."

      Frederick Vesti (18th in the first session): "What a day! It was great to be back in the paddock on Thursday and get ready for the races with the team. I'm really happy to get back behind the wheel – it was great to challenge myself and attack at the limit. After spending so much time on the simulator, it was great to get behind the wheel of a real car and learn more about the features of the tires and the W16.

      I missed the feeling of a racing car, which is not on the simulator. I want to say thank you to Mercedes for the opportunity to participate in the first practice session again. My motivation is at a very high level, and I will continue to attack.

      Now is the time to return to Brackley, continue working with the team, and correlate the data between what I learned today and the simulator. We will continue to strive for even higher results and victories."