Mercedes pair lock out front row in Hamilton’s absenceRussell denied pole by 0.026sec on debut for teamPole position belonged to Valtteri Bottas for the Sakhir
Grand Prix but it was his teammate, George Russell, whose talent shone under floodlights in Bahrain. The 22-year-old Briton – standing in for a self-isolating
Lewis Hamilton – put his Mercedes on the front row, denied pole by the slenderest of margins on his first drive in a competitive car. In so doing Russell laid down a marker that he should be considered as heir apparent to the seven-times world champion at Mercedes.
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