On the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, teams and drivers persisted in their preparations for the forthcoming season. Here’s a comprehensive recap of the day’s proceedings:
The day commenced with cars taking to the track for morning testing, but the session was abruptly halted after approximately an hour and a half following an incident involving Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Leclerc encountered a loose drain cover, prompting officials to suspend the session for safety assessments.
As the Ferrari team endeavored to replace the damaged floor of Leclerc’s SF24, it was later determined to conclude the morning session prematurely to facilitate the completion of repairs. An extra hour was designated for the afternoon session to compensate for the lost track time.
Despite the truncated morning session, Charles Leclerc’s leading time remained unchallenged throughout the additional hour of afternoon testing. However, it was his Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz, who ultimately claimed the top spot on the timesheets. Sainz delivered an impressive lap time of 1:29.921 on the red-walled C4 tires, establishing a commanding lead over his competitors.
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes briefly surged to second place behind Sainz, posting a lap time of 1:31.066. However, he was subsequently overtaken by Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez, who secured the second position with a time of 1:30.679. Pérez’s strong performance was noteworthy, especially considering earlier brake issues that had hampered his morning session.
McLaren’s Lando Norris secured the fourth position on the timesheets, while Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth, posting a best time of 1:31.361 using the C4 compound tires.
Charles Leclerc, whose incident led to the morning session’s early conclusion, ended the day in sixth place overall with a time of 1:31.750.
Other notable performances included Lance Stroll of Aston Martin in seventh, Esteban Ocon of Alpine in eighth, and Valtteri Bottas of Sauber in ninth. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri rounded out the top 10.
Logan Sargeant of Williams completed the most laps of the day, impressively logging a total of 117 laps around the Sakhir circuit.
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, Zhou Guanyu of Stake F1 Team, Pierre Gasly of Alpine, Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Nico Hulkenberg of Haas, and Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull Racing Visa Cash App completed the lineup.
Overall, the second day of pre-season testing provided teams with valuable data as they continue to fine-tune their cars ahead of the upcoming Formula 1 season. With competitive lap times and significant mileage covered, anticipation for the new season continues to grow among fans and teams alike.