The Brit smashed through the one-minute-17-second barrier with a jaw-dropping time of 1:16.928. Nobody else could keep up with the dominant German team.
Russell logged 78 laps while Antonelli pushed through an impressive 90 laps of testing.
Charles Leclerc claimed the third spot with a time of 1:18.223, completing 83 laps throughout the day.
Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top five, with Lewis Hamilton settling into sixth position.
But the day wasn’t smooth sailing for everyone.
Piastri and the McLaren team hit a major roadblock. They only managed to complete their morning session before trouble struck.
A fuel system issue completely derailed their afternoon plans, forcing them to abandon valuable testing time. The team lost critical miles and data collection opportunities they desperately needed.
“We discovered a fuel system problem, and the car’s very complex, so we’ve decided to bring it back into the garage, strip it down fully and understand where the problem is coming from,” said Mark Temple, McLaren’s Technical Director, Performance.
The setback couldn’t have come at a worse time for the British team, who are fighting to stay competitive in the development race.
