SAKHIR.- The team of Formula 1, Mercedes-AMGand its two pilots George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli They set the fastest laps on the last day of the first official tests of the 2026 season in Bahrain.
The small Gulf kingdom hosts in two sessions – from Wednesday to Friday, and then from February 18 to 20 – the official tests open to the 11 teams before the season that will begin in March and whose technical regime for engines, chassis and aerodynamics has completely changed.
After a difficult first few days for Mercedes, especially due to a controversy over the compression rate of its engine, which also equips McLaren, Williams and Alpinethe young Italian Antonelli was the fastest, closing his best lap at the Sakhir circuit in 1 minute, 33 seconds and 669 thousandths.
The Italian surpassed his British teammate Russell by 249 thousandths.
He Ferrari of the seven-time British world champion Lewis Hamilton and the Australian’s McLaren Oscar Piastri They achieved the third and fourth best times, at 540 and 880 thousandths, respectively. His teammates, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc and the current world champion, the English Lando Norrisdid not take to the asphalt this Friday after having been the fastest the day before.
Canadian Mboko enters the “Top 10” at 19 years old
The Canadian tennis player Victoria Mboko He made sure to enter the Top-10 in the world for the first time at the age of 19, after qualifying this Friday for the final of the Doha WTA 1000.
After making himself known with his surprising victory in the Montreal WTA 1000 In the summer of 2025, the current 13th in the world beat the Latvian 6-3, 6-2 this Friday Jelena Ostapenko (24th), finalist in the Qatari tournament in 2016 and 2025.
Born in USAbut raised in Toronto with her parents, who fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1999, Mboko will face the Czech for the title on Saturday Karolina Muchova (19th), who came back hours later against the Greek Maria Sakkari (52nd) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
