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Debate: Mercedes to beat Verstappen in qualifying and takes pole

29 February at 20:00
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  • GPblog.com

Those who had bet on a one-two by Mercedes during the second free practice in Bahrain could have pocketed a nice penny at the bookmakers this afternoon. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were well placed and that bodes well for the rest of the weekend.

Often the results of the third free practice session say the most about what to expect during qualifying, but in Bahrain it is different. FP2 started at 16:00 on Thursday afternoon, the same start time as the race on Friday. Qualifying starts at 17:00, so it is a lot colder at those times in Bahrain than earlier in the day (during FP1 and FP3).

For all drivers and teams, the second free practice is the time to complete qualifying and long runs. And so suddenly there was Mercedes. Hamilton actually led the timesheet from start to finish, which raised some eyebrows in the paddock.

All the more so because during the test days it appeared that the W15 was especially competitive with a full tank and not so much over one flying lap. So did Mercedes find something last week after all? What do you guys think about the following statement: Mercedes to beat Verstappen in qualifying and takes pole in Bahrain. Let us know by filling in the poll and join the discussion in the comments!