Lando Norris
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The battle between Mercedes and Ferrari could be fascinating this season based on initial signs from Bahrain pre-season testing.
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time during the Barcelona shakedown, but it was Andrea Kimi Antonelli who came out on top during the first week of testing in Bahrain.
It’s too early to start predicting who will be on pole position at the Australian Grand Prix, but the top four teams from last season appear to have cemented their positions at the top of the pecking order once again.
Ferrari have gone under the radar compared to the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull, with McLaren also looking very solid.
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George Russell has hinted that Ferrari might have an advantage during race starts, which could be crucial given the turbo lag being experienced with the new power units.
However, journalists Scott Mitchell-Malm and Edd Straw were trackside for the first week of testing in Bahrain.
After watching Hamilton up close, it might not be all good news for the seven-time world champion, as they think he might be in a weaker position than both Antonelli and his teammate, Charles Leclerc.
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Kimi Antonelli far more ‘aggressive’ than Lewis Hamilton during his race stint in Bahrain testing
Mitchell-Malm was speaking about the Ferrari on The Race F1 Podcast and explained: “He’s [Leclerc] not been quite as vulnerable to the sensitivities of this car as Hamilton’s looked.
“Hamilton’s had more slides when I’ve been trackside, he’s pinched the inside-front a few times, he’s had a bit more movement in the car.
“I actually went down to turn 11 towards the end of today, and that was a run that just seemed to be getting a bit more difficult.
“It was actually at the same time that Kimi Antonelli was on a run with Mercedes. Antonelli was on the hards at that point, and he was so aggressive and committed into turn 11.
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“He was opening up the corner way more, really, really using the curb on the right-hand side, chucking it in, all in one movement, nice and committed, didn’t really have to hesitate or back out of it all the way through to the exit.
“But, the longer the stint went on for the Ferrari, Hamilton just started to get some movement, a little wobble later around the corner.”
On top of this, Mitchell-Malm also commented that Lando Norris looked more comfortable in the McLaren than Oscar Piastri, although it’s hard to read too much into that without knowing run plans and engine modes.
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Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari looked ‘pretty lairy’ during Bahrain F1 testing
Alongside Mitchell-Malm’s analysis, Straw admitted that Hamilton’s Ferrari looked ‘pretty lairy’ going through turns six, seven and eight.
Hamilton appeared to be struggling on the opening day of testing in Bahrain, although this wasn’t exclusive to the 41-year-old, with gusting winds catching a lot of drivers out.
Although Hamilton wasn’t too far off Russell in terms of lap time, the Mercedes W17 looked far more planted on track.
There’s still plenty of time for the seven-time world champion to iron out any issues he has with the SF-26.
It’s been noted that Hamilton’s driving style appears to finally be adapting to the Ferrari, but up against Leclerc, a resurgent Mercedes team and Max Verstappen, it’s too early to predict that he’ll end his winless streak.
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