Russell fastest on final day of F1 pre-season testing 2025

Mercedes’ George Russell topped the timing boards on the final day of Formula 1’s pre-season testing at Bahrain’s International Circuit, pipping Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Feature image credit: Mercedes F1

After the morning session, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on top, the drivers swapped over to get their last runs behind the wheel in the final afternoon of testing. 

The only exceptions to this were Verstappen and Williams’ Alexander Albon, as their teammates Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz, respectively, completed full days on Thursday.

Aston Martin had to complete an in-session shift after Lance Stroll, who missed out on the morning session due to not feeling ‘100%,’ fell unwell once more. This left Fernando Alonso to deputise for his teammate.

Leclerc goes fastest overall in final morning F1 testing 2025 – Day 3

Afternoon runners

McLaren – Oscar Piastri

Ferrari – Lewis Hamilton 

Red Bull – Max Verstappen

Mercedes – George Russell

Aston Martin – Lance Stroll/Fernando Alonso

Alpine – Pierre Gasly

Haas – Esteban Ocon

Racing Bulls – Yuki Tsunoda 

Williams – Alexander Albon

Sauber – Nico Hulkenberg

At the end of the final day of pre-season testing, Russell was the fastest driver with a lap time of 1:29.545 on the clock, ahead of Verstappen by 0.021 seconds. Albon finished in third, one-tenth off the pace. 

Piastri occupied fourth ahead of Gasly, Hamilton, Tsunoda and Ocon in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. Hulkenberg was the second-slowest driver of the afternoon runners in 13th ahead of Alonso, who finished 15th.

Due to feeling unwell, Stroll managed to get out on track but failed to set a lap time on the board.

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Leclerc goes fastest overall in final morning F1 testing 2025 – Day 3
• Leclerc currently fastest in morning session of F1 testing 2025 – Day 3
• Who’s driving for day 3 of F1 pre-season test
• Sainz fastest after second day of F1 pre-season testing 2025
• Sainz currently fastest on day 2 afternoon in F1 2025 testing
• Hamilton fastest after morning session on day 2 of F1 testing 2025

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.