Mercedes' teen sensation Kimi Antonelli tops F1 testing in Bahrain

Kimi Antonelli secured victory on the penultimate day of Formula 1 preseason testing in Bahrain, helping Mercedes to stay at the top.

The 18-year-old lowered the overall benchmark to a 1:32.803.

On track, the teen sensation’s time was 0.058 seconds clear of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who set his benchmark on the same C3 compound tires.

The second position was secured by Max Verstappen for Red Bull at 0.359 seconds, while Lewis Hamilton’s final day didn’t go as planned. He was interrupted by an unspecified issue that kept his Ferrari in the garage for most of the time.

The Italian team launched a completely new solution for F1’s active aerodynamics regulations, with the top part of their rear wing seeming to turn 180 degrees in straight-line configuration, literally flipping upside down in order to cut drag.

Ferrari opted to return to a conventional wing design for the afternoon running.

Despite the challenges, Hamilton completed 78 laps and finished fourth overall, 0.605 seconds behind Antonelli.

More promising for Ferrari was Hamilton’s start from the back of the grid in both practice sessions, in which Ferrari-powered cars, thought to have a smaller turbo, clearly had the advantage, with Hamilton passing four cars to Turn 1, including Verstappen from pole.