Motorsports
Ferstappen faster on the final day of testing in Bahrain
In a series of fast laps on soft tires by most teams at the end, Red Bull RB18 Max Ferstappen clocked the fastest time of the three days in Bahrain, ahead of the 2022 winter testing curtain.
Driving the Red Bull RB18, Max Ferstappen set the fastest time of the three days in Bahrain ahead of the 2022 winter testing curtain. The Dutchman set his fastest lap with the softest of all erasers (C5), followed by Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso in 7 tenths and 1 second with Ferrari F1-75 and Alpine A522 respectively – but the Monegasque Spaniard also did a bit of his fastest lap with the harder – and slightly slower – C4 rubber.
The first Mercedes with George Russell completed its fourth year, 61mm behind Alonso and 1,039” behind Ferstappen – although the Brit also had his best time with the C5. Lewis Hamilton confined himself to data collection and other priorities, ending the day in the unusual penultimate place, 4.5 seconds back.
Although Sergio Perez had promised that RBR would run classification test simulations today, and also despite the different erasers that might lead to some conclusions, one cannot be sure how the present tenses will be translated – mainly because no one knows the fuel loads of each car had in his fastest lap.
Indicative or not at all indicative of the importance of today is that Ferstappen marked (apart from the first and) the second year of his entire three days in Bahrain with used tires, which were particularly worn after a quarter of a year -a- ke his on the last lap . This happened on the Dutchman’s exit lap from the pits, apparently because his four erasers weren’t warm enough yet.
“No one is in full classification test specification yet”, declared the champion. “Obviously the car is better with less fuel, and with more it’s usually a bit lazy and doesn’t do much. But that goes for everyone. I think the new parts we brought today worked well and hope for that you always.” .
I think we learned a lot about the car and were able to make it faster. And I think that’s what you want. Our main concern was the tires we will be using in the first few races. The car feels good and we followed the program that we set out to do and that’s always positive I think.closed Max
Leclerc also tried to set a fast lap on the softer C5 eraser, but despite being quicker in the middle of the track, something went wrong in the third part of the track – or he might have chosen to slow down – and so on . remained the fastest lap he had driven with C4. He then ended the day with rounds of the hardest C3 eraser.
The Mercedes W13, meanwhile, has revealed its stability issues to the naked eye. After the big problems of Hamilton’s uncontrollable turn yesterday, the “Silver Arrow” was twitchy in Russell’s hands today, sometimes hyper-rotating and with serious problems of rebound (“porpoise”) even in fast corners other than straight lines.
Notable, apart from Alpine’s relatively unexpected third year with Alonso, was Valteri Botas’ 5th appearance with Alfa Romeo – how the Finn managed with the average C3 eraser. Not all was rosy for Hinville’s team, however, as shortly afterwards the C42 had a problem with the transmission system and Botas had to defeat it on the exit of Turn 8.
Mick Schumacher from Haas was half a tenth faster today than yesterday’s fastest lap by Kevin Magnussen, who gave the Dane an unexpected lead. The German (although he has a foursome analogue of Ferstappen) thus found himself in 8th place, which is a very encouraging result for the American team, which finished the tests even ahead of McLaren and Aston Martin, Lando Norris and Sebastian Vettel or.
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.
After several significant personnel changes in the team, Max Verstappen has finally learned who he will be working with in the Red Bull pits for the new season.
At the end of last year, it became known that three key members of the four-time world champion’s headquarters had left. According to De Telegraaf, Jeff Ayton replaced Verstappen’s vehicle control engineer Michael Manning, who left the team after the 2025 season. He has previously worked with other Red Bull drivers and worked temporarily with Verstappen in Manning’s absence last year.
Verstappen’s former engine mechanic David Mart has moved to Audi and his replacement at Red Bull has not yet been determined. Performance engineer Tom Hart is also leaving the team; He will join Williams but will continue to work with the Milton Keynes-based team for a while.
Changes also occurred among mechanics. After Matt Culler moved to the position of Audi’s chief mechanic, Verstappen was replaced as his first mechanic by his twin brother John Culler. He is well known to Max, who has previously held a similar position on the other side of the Red Bull pits, working alongside Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.
Despite rumors about the winter break, Gianpiero Lambiase will remain Verstappen’s race engineer for another season.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Photos of the allegedly leaked Ferrari F1 team jerseys for the 2026 season have appeared on the internet.
The published photos show a red T-shirt with white inserts.
Ferrari will officially announce its color on January 23. At the same time, some sources reported that the design of the 2026 car should be “pleasantly surprising”.
Given that Ferrari and other teams have used darker shades of their primary colors (red in the Scuderia’s case) in recent years, the introduction of red and white team uniforms could signal a move towards a lighter color scheme.
The same idea is put forward in a video published on the Scuderia’s official account.
2026 FERRARI PRODUCTS? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ClhblugnUh
— La Gazzetta Ferrari (@GazzettaFerrari) January 18, 2026
It’s just a matter of time⏱️ pic.twitter.com/SyykHCiHcw
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) January 18, 2026
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Former Formula 1 champion Damon Hill has warned fans that the winner of the 2026 season could be a real surprise.
The current large-scale changes to the regulations are among the biggest in the history of the sport. They are expected to change the balance of power in the starting grid for a long time.
Hill is confident that the pundits have no idea who will start the new season with the best cars because the cars will be completely different, even in terms of handling.
Particular attention of the expert is drawn to Aston Martin, which was able to make a leap from the middle of the table after signing Adrian Newey from Red Bull.
Hill noted the following about Lando Norris’ chances of defending his title:
“All bets are off for this year. We don’t know who will be in uniform. You can’t automatically assume that pilots who performed well under previous regulations can now do it again.”
The cars are completely different. “50% of engine power is now provided by the electric battery, and this affects the way cars are controlled, their aerodynamics and their design.”
Hill added that the season could be a complete surprise:
“Yes, you can [ожидать смену эпохи в Ф1 в этом году]. We may see a complete surprise. It’s like Jenson Button beating Brown; Everyone was surprised because they understood the rules better.
“And the master of understanding the rules is Adrian Newey, who went to Aston Martin. He left Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Christian Horner also left that team. But he went to Aston Martin.”
“So we’re waiting for him to wave his magic wand over Aston Martin. And it could happen.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
-
Ligue 13 years agoRenato Sanchez signed in Paris for five years
-
Europa League4 years agoIn transfer alert at Olympiakos for additions and concessions
-
Europa League4 years agoFenerbahce – Eintracht 1: 1: The Germans took 1st place in the Olympiacos group
-
Europa League4 years agoWithout Nainggolan and Samata, the 11th team from Antwerp
-
Europa League4 years agoEuropa League
-
Europa League4 years agoAtalanta announced the acquisition of Boga
-
Europa League4 years agoFears that Zapata will be out for 4 months
-
Premier League4 years agoExcept for the rest of January, Sean was injured