05 December,2020 08:19 AM IST | Bahrain | Abhishek Takle
George Russell
George Russell was impressively up to speed on his debut as Lewis Hamilton's substitute as he set the fastest time in Friday's opening practice session for the Sakhir Grand Prix. Russell, parachuted into Hamilton's Mercedes at the last minute after the seven-times world champion tested positive for Covid-19, set a time of 54.546 seconds.
Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon were second and third. Mercedes regular Valtteri Bottas was fourth, 0.322 seconds off his temporary team-mate's pace. The Finn was carrying damage on his car, however.
Formula One is racing around the shorter 3.5-kilometer long outer circuit of the same Bahrain track that hosted last Sunday's race, which is why lap times are so quick. The Bahrain Grand Prix was run around the traditional 5.4-kilometer long layout typically used every year.
Behind the top four Daniil Kvyat was fifth ahead of AlphaTauri team mate Pierre Gasly. Esteban Ocon was seventh ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Renault team mate Daniel Ricciardo. Charles Leclerc rounded out the top ten.
Friday's opening practice session featured two rookies who are making their Formula One debuts this weekend. Pietro Fittipaldi is standing in for the injured Romain Grosjean at Haas while Formula Two racer Jack Aitken is replacing Russell at Williams. The pair occupied the last two spots on the time sheets after a spin and tyre lock up brought an early end to their session.
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