PRACTICE DEBRIEF: No one expected Mercedes at the top – is the Red Bull challenge on?

F1 Correspondent & PresenterLawrence Barretto

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 29: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG

Formula 1’s first representative practice session of 2024 featured an unusual final classification, with Mercedes locking out the top-two spots, four different constructors’ in the top-five and the best Red Bull only sixth. But how much can we read into any of that?

Mercedes could be in the fight for the front row

No one was expecting Mercedes to trouble the top of the timesheets in FP2, when teams got down to business with their first proper low-fuel runs on soft tyres of the weekend – but that’s exactly what transpired, as Lewis Hamilton headed George Russell.

Unlock exclusive F1 content and more with F1 Unlocked. Totally free.

Membership gets you closer with:

Curated insider content
Live like an F1 insider with exclusive access and VIP experiences
Member benefits, rewards and offers

Next Up

REVEALED: Your favourite race of the 2025 season
End Of Year Reports 2025Haas’ best and worst moments from 2025
End Of Year Reports 2025Aston Martin’s best and worst moments from 2025
Albon names moment he's most proud of from 2025
$Robert Kubica (POL) BMW Sauber F1 celebrates his third position.\r\nFormula One World Championship,$ Sauber’s best moments and most memorable liveries in F1
ExclusiveWhy Gasly feels ‘ready for my time’ in F1

PRACTICE DEBRIEF: No one expected Mercedes at the top – is the Red Bull challenge on?

Mercedes could be in the fight for the front row

Related Articles