F1 testing: Carlos Sainz tops times over Ferrari on day two in Bahrain
Williams driver Carlos Sainz set the pace on the second day of preseason testing, beating the two Ferrari drivers to the fastest lap time by less than 0.1 seconds.
Headline lap times in testing are notoriously unreliable for establishing an accurate competitive order, with Williams playing down suggestions they may have caught F1’s front runners.
Thursday was Sainz’s last day in the car before the opening practice session for the first race in Australia, and the team appeared to work through qualifying and race simulations with their new driver.
Ferrari teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were split by 0.052 seconds at the end of the second day of testing, with Hamilton setting his time in the morning session before handing the car over to Leclerc, who drove in the afternoon.
Mercedes’ two drivers, George Russell (morning) and Andrea Kimi Antonelli (afternoon), were in fourth and fifth place, with 0.006s separating the two.
Variables — such as fuel load, engine settings and tyre usage – can influence lap times in testing, and Williams team principal James Vowles warned against reading too much into the fastest times.
“I think at the moment what you are seeing, which is a great thing, is the difference in fuel mass and power modes is masking the difference between the teams. That’s a good thing,” he said.
“That means the sport’s getting closer and closer together, but it’s not a cold, wet Bahrain that we’re going to be able to determine the order.
“I think realistically it’s only when we get to Melbourne that we’ll see it, and my view on that is the top four [McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes] will be the top four. I think there’s a large gap between them and the midfield, and then the midfield, not sure.”
Red Bull had a relatively quiet day, with 91 laps on the board for Liam Lawson at the chequered flag. Lawson only completed 28 laps in the morning due to a loss of water pressure and spent a long period in the afternoon in the garage as the team worked on the car.
Like Sainz, Thursday’s test was Lawson’s last opportunity to drive the car ahead of the first practice session in Australia on March 14.
Lando Norris, who remains the favourite for the title after his McLaren team won the constructors’ championship last year, was down in 14th place, underlining just how misleading the order can be.
McLaren appeared to focus on aero tests in the morning when Oscar Piastri was in the car before switching to long runs and a race simulation in the afternoon with Norris.
A rare but minor on-track collision occurred when Piastri tapped the rear of Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber in Turn 7. Hulkenberg had attempted to move out the way of the McLaren in the corner, but Piastri ran wide at the apex and nudged Hulkenberg’s right rear mid corner. There was no significant damage to either car.
Spots of rain fell during light showers throughout the day, but only once stopped meaningful dry running during the morning session. Haas’ Esteban Ocon made use of a set of intermediate tyres to continue through the worst of the rain, while the rest of the field waited for the track to dry and resumed testing on slick tyres.
The final day of preseason testing will take place in Bahrain on Friday.
Day two lap times, lap counts and tyre compounds
Carlos Sainz – Williams – 1:29.348 – 127 laps – C3
Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari – 1:29.379 – 45 laps – C3
Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – 1:29.431 – 83 laps – C3
George Russell – Mercedes – 1:29.778 – 71 laps – C3
Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes – 1:29.784 – 87 laps – C3
Lance Stroll – Aston Martin – 1:30.229 – 57 laps – C3
Liam Lawson – Red Bull – 1:30.252 – 91 laps – C3
Jack Doohan – Alpine – 1:30.368 – 80 laps – C3
Pierre Gasly – Alpine – 1:30.430 – 40 laps – C3
Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls – 1:30.675 – 94 laps – C3
Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – 1:30.700 – 45 laps – C3
Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls – 1:30.793 – 46 laps – C3
Oscar Piastri – McLaren – 1:30.821 – 44 laps – C3
Lando Norris – McLaren – 1:30.882 – 77 laps – C3
Gabriel Bortelto – Sauber 1:31.057 – 80 laps – C3
Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber – 1:31.457 – 56 laps – C3
Esteban Ocon – Haas – 1:33.071 – 69 laps – C3
Oliver Bearman – Haas – 1:34.372 – 66 laps – C3.
Source: espn.com