Fresh from the Barcelona shakedown, the W17 rolled back onto the track in Bahrain for the first of six crucial test days spread across the next two weeks.
George Russell opened the morning session, putting in a solid 56 laps as the team explored balance and responsiveness under the desert heat.
After lunch, Kimi Antonelli climbed into the cockpit, eager to build on his Barcelona mileage. Unfortunately, a suspension issue cut his afternoon short, limiting him to just 30 laps before the chequered flag.
On the timesheets, George ended the day P6 while Kimi closed out in P11. Tomorrow, the pair will swap duties—Kimi in the morning, George in the afternoon—as the team looks to recover lost ground.
George Russell
“It’s been a tough first day here in Bahrain. Barcelona gave us three strong days, but we haven’t quite found the same rhythm yet. This morning, we were experimenting with the car’s balance, but it didn’t feel as sharp as it did in Spain. The hotter track temperatures play a part, but we know there’s work to do to get the W17 into a happier place.
Losing laps this afternoon with Kimi’s suspension issue was frustrating, but that’s testing—it’s about finding problems early and fixing them. Red Bull and McLaren look strong again, so we’ve got ground to make up. The team is already working flat out to close that gap.”
Kimi Antonelli
“Getting back in the car after Barcelona felt great, but the suspension issue really interrupted our programme today. Losing nearly two hours of track time wasn’t ideal, though credit to the garage—they worked quickly to get me back out and we still managed 30 laps before the flag.
It’s not the start we wanted, but that’s part of the process. Tomorrow’s another chance to learn more about the W17, and I’m looking forward to a smoother run.”
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
“Compared to the near-perfect running in Barcelona, today was a reminder of how much we still have to learn. George’s morning was disrupted by delays in the garage and a car balance that wasn’t where we needed it—brake locking, poor traction, and general inconsistency made life difficult.
Kimi’s session was further interrupted when we uncovered a suspension issue that required investigation. That cost us valuable time, and by the time we got back out, we only had enough laps to baseline the car on the hardest compound and focus on long runs.
We’re still piecing together how the W17 behaves, and clearly we’ve got work to do to get it into the right window. The good news is we’ve got two more days this week, plenty of ideas, and a motivated team ready to push forward.”