F1 Testing: Leclerc of Ferrari leads the field in Bahrain on the second day
Charles Leclerc led the second day of Formula 1’s Bahrain preseason test as the new competitive landscape remained unclear ahead of the upcoming season.
Leclerc’s time of 1:34.273 was achieved during the day and held the top position until the conclusion of the session. While the significance of headline times is difficult to interpret, Ferrari’s notably productive day of 139 laps will add to the speculation regarding the team’s standing in relation to its primary competitors under F1’s revised aerodynamic and engine regulations.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris secured second place, finishing 0.5 seconds behind Leclerc’s earlier time, and also completed an impressive 149 laps, indicating McLaren’s strong preseason performance. Oliver Bearman, in third place, also recorded XX laps in the Ferrari-powered Haas.
More intriguing was the performance of the other two teams that have formed F1’s ‘Big Four’ in recent years.
Mercedes’ lackluster start to the Bahrain test persisted, hampered by a problem that necessitated a power unit change early in the day, restricting Kimi Antonelli to just four laps before the lunch break.
Preseason favorite George Russell managed to complete 55 laps after the break, achieving a time sufficient for fourth in the standings, but the perception of Mercedes’ dominant position at the top—long believed leading into the new regulations and reinforced by a strong performance during Barcelona’s Shakedown—has begun to diminish this week.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had highlighted Red Bull as the benchmark team following the first day of testing on Wednesday, but they also faced challenges. A morning issue limited their running, and Isack Hadjar’s performance behind the wheel was less impressive than Max Verstappen’s on Wednesday.
Hadjar, 2.2 seconds slower than Leclerc’s leading time, recovered from the early setback to complete 87 laps. Four-time world champion Verstappen is set to return for Friday’s final day.
A significant topic of discussion heading into this season was whether (or when) Aston Martin would fulfill team owner Lawrence Stroll’s promises of becoming title contenders under the new regulations. Early indications suggest that patience will be essential, as the green car continues to struggle at the lower end of the timing screens during its slow start to testing.
Fernando Alonso concluded the session with a solid 98 laps, but it was comments from his teammate that garnered media attention.
While Alonso was on track, Lance Stroll provided a pessimistic evaluation of the team’s current status, indicating they are several seconds off the pace and unlikely to contend for immediate victories. Alonso finished the day 4.6 seconds behind Leclerc’s fastest time.
Team principal Adrian Newey has assured a rapid pace of development, both on the car front and from the team’s new exclusive engine partner, Honda, but the extent of the challenge facing the team is becoming evident this week.
There were several interruptions during the day, including Norris’ McLaren briefly stopping halfway down the pit lane, and Pierre Gasly’s Alpine experiencing a breakdown at Turn 1 in the evening. Despite this stoppage, Gasly completed 97 laps, while Williams drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz finished 131 laps in the other Mercedes-powered car, continuing Williams’ strong start to testing after opting to skip Barcelona’s Shakedown due to missed preseason car build targets.
Cadillac caused two delays during the session, first when Sergio Perez stopped on track in the morning, and again when teammate Valtteri Bottas encountered issues in the evening—two pieces of debris detached from his car down the main straight, briefly prompting a red flag, but Cadillac still managed to record 107 laps between its drivers. New team Audi also completed 114 laps.
Source: espn.com
