This week there has not been a Formula 1 race, so the teams have taken advantage by spending two days testing at the Bahrain circuit. Mercedes remained the undisputed leader. On the first day of the test, what most stood out was the problems of the Mclaren Honda team. Its development driver Oliver Turvey was only able to complete two installation laps in the morning before a water leak in his MGU-H forced a change of the engine, which took the rest of the day. It was near the end of the session, when he was able to go out and make fifteen laps. Summing up a total of 17 laps, it was the team that ran the least and was last in the times table. Mercedes returned to lead the day, followed by Giovinazzi and his Ferrari. Ricciardo with his Red Bull was third in the time table.
The second day of testing was better for the Mclaren team which completed 81 laps and was in fourth place with a time gap of eight tenths of a second to Mercedes. Ferrari had a hard day with problems of the car and in the pits, but the German obtained the second position with only two tenths of a second’s gap to Bottas. The third place went to Sainz with his Toro Rosso, despite only being able to have run in the afternoon.
However, despite the training there was some other news over the weekend which grabbed all the attention, the participation of Fernando Alonso at the Indianapolis 500. The event is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsports which comprises three of the most prestigious motorsports events in the world, including the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours Le Mans. The Spanish rider made the announcement that he will be missing the Monaco Grand Prix to participate in the mythical race with the team Andretti Mortorsports. His goal is to win the Triple Crown. His decision has been praised as well as criticized. Many people think that he should not miss any races. But others believe that Fernando hasn’t got the chance of winning the world championship this year, so there would be no problem if one race is lost. Jenson Button is the chosen driver to replace him in the race at Monaco.