George Russell believes Mercedes has the potential to become the “next best” team to the dominant McLaren in this week’s Bah✃rain Grand Prix.

Russell set the third-quickest time in second practice on Friday, just behind McLaren duo 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Oscar Piastri and168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Lando Norris.

That was despite the 27-year-old missing the opening session at the Bahrain Internati𓄧onal Circuit, as Mercedes gave reserve driver Frederik Vesti an opportunity to drive the W16 on a grand prix weekend.

While Russell is concerned about the gap to McLaren, which stood at half a second in FP2, he thinks it might be possible for Mercedes to edge out Ferrari and Red Bull’s 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen in the fight for best-of-the-rest at Sakhir.

The Briton was 0.013s faster than Ferrari driver 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Charles Leclerc on Friday, while his buffer to Verstappen in seventh place was🅷 more than three-tenths.

"We expected McLaren to be a step ahead here and we saw that today," said the three-time grand prix winner. "Long way ahe💧ad in the middle sector 𝕴where tyres are overheating so we know we’ve got a bit of work to do but I think we’re in a position fighting for the next best.

"I think the ♊Ferraris were on course for a pretty good lap, I think they had a bit of a ba𒊎d last sector but I think it’s going to be close between ourselves, Ferrari and Max [Verstappen] but we just never know to be honest.

"I definitely feel, unlike the last three races, this won’t be𓃲 dominated by Qualifying, this weekend is going to be dominated by race pace, tyre [degradation]. So of course you want to have a goo♛d Qualifying but the race is where the action will be."

Technical gremlins for Antonelli

Mercedes started the Bahrain weekend on the back foot, as not only Russell had to vacate his car to Vesti in FP1 but rookie 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Andrea Kimi Antonelli was also restricted to the g𝓡arage for most of the sessio☂n due to a technical issue.

The Italian was able to log just three l🔴aps on Friday morning but bounced bacꦦk from the disappointment to finish fifth in FP2, two spots ahead of Verstappen.

Like Russell, Antonelli also expressed confidence in Mercedes’ ability to ꦏcha🍃llenge Ferrari and Red Bull this weekend. 

“FP1 was 💫obviously quite short,” he said. “Unfortunately, I had a water leak on the car, s🉐o I had to stop and couldn’t drive for the rest of the session. That was a shame because you don’t want to miss out on laps. 

“FP2 was quite positiv♐e though. The single lap was quite good, even though I made a big mist𓆏ake in sector one, and overall I felt pretty good in the car. 

“The long run was quite tric♒ky – completely different to what we had in testing, so I had to adapt, but overall, despiteℱ the issue in FP1, it was a positive day.

“Being at a track that I know definitely helped get me up to speed more quickly today. I felt straightaway in FP2 that I had confidence with the car anꦚd despite the track being different to when I’ve driven here previously, I had the confidence to be able to push.

“McLaren still seem to be the favourite but I think we should be fighting for the top five 🍒in tomorrow’s Qualifying. We can definitely take the fight to the Red Bulls and Ferrari, but let’s wait and see what Saturday brings."