George Russell has set the pace in Free Practice One (FP1) of the Sakhir Grand Prix ahead of the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Alex Albon. Russell’s Mercedes team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, was only fourth after managing a best lap time over three-tenths of a second slower than the young Brit’s fastest lap.
However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was quick to point out that Bottas damaged his car early in the session and was therefore compromised. Specifically, a bib on the underside of his Mercedes W11 was damaged and resulted in Bottas locking up his tyres more easily.
Despite this, many F1 fans have taken to social media to suggest that Russell’s pace proves that most drivers would win in a Mercedes. Some even accused Lewis Hamilton of being a fraud and insisted that Russell’s pace shows he isn’t the greatest F1 driver of all-time.
