- Dutch driver tops morning and evening sessions
- World champion comes in fourth and third
Red Bull delivered definitive notice that they are genuine challengers for the Formula One world championship in practice in Bahrain. With Max Verstappen topping both sessions, the reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team had to admit that as things stand they are simply unable to match their rivals.
Hamilton, attempting to take his eighth world championship this season, accepted that he and Mercedes having dominated F1 since 2014 were now on the back foot. “It wasn’t where we wanted,” he said. “This weekend it is looking better but not perfect. We still have a hill to climb but we are staying positive.”
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