Charles Leclerc was fastest in Bahrain F1 test Day 2 ahead of Lando Norris who racked up the highest mileage at 149 laps as Mercedes and Red Bull lost valuable track time due to mechanical gremlins.
The Ferrari driver delivered a lap time of 1m34.273s in the morning session which remained unbeaten throughout the second day of Formula 1 testing, edging Day 1’s frontrunner McLaren by 0.511s.
Testing commenced at dawn with the morning session allowing teams to baseline their setups on the 5.412km Sakhir circuit, known for its abrasive surface and high-speed straights that challenge the active aerodynamics and energy deployment systems introduced this year.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris was the first out on track in the McLaren MCL40 as teams prioritized data gathering on tire degradation and aero efficiency in the high-speed desert layout.
Just ten minutes in, however, Sergio Perez triggered the first red flag in his Cadillac which suffered extreme vibrations leading to an alternator belt failure that halted the American outfit’s session briefly.
Running resumed swiftly, but Red Bull’s morning turned nightmarish when Isack Hadjar detected a hydraulic leak in the RB22 after just one installation lap, confining the Ford-backed powerhouse to the garage for hours.
Mercedes faced similar tribulations with Andrea Kimi Antonelli managing only three laps in the W17 before a catastrophic power unit failure necessitated a full engine swap, sidelining the Brackley squad for much of the morning and limiting their data haul at a critical juncture when rivals were banking high-mileage runs.
In contrast, Charles Leclerc unleashed Ferrari SF-26 potential early, bolting together a blistering 1m34.273s lap on soft tires that stood unbeaten throughout the day, half a second clear of Norris’s 1m34.784s on mediums.
Leclerc’s 62 laps in the morning session alone surpassed race distance, allowing Ferrari engineers to validate long-run pace on high-fuel loads, where the Scuderia appeared metronomic in sector times particularly through the demanding Turns 1 and 10.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly slotted into third, while Haas’ Oliver Bearman and Williams’ Alex Albon rounded out the morning top five.
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Cadillac, Alpine red flags punctuate afternoon session
A one-hour lunch break preceded the afternoon, where driver swaps injected fresh dynamics: George Russell took over Mercedes, Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg shared Audi, Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson split Racing Bulls, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon alternated in Williams, and Valtteri Bottas relieved Perez at Cadillac.
However, the session turned chaotic midway through with three red flags halting proceedings: The first came after Bottas lost a part of his Cadillac’s right mirror which landed on the track and nearly hit the Williams.
This triggered a 10-minute stoppage to clear the debris, but shortly after track action resumed another red flag was out after Pierre Gasly’s Alpine A526 ground to a halt at Turn 1—caused by a sensor glitch—marking their third stoppage since shakedown. The final red flag was to simply test the procedure.
Meanwhile, Leclerc and Norris remained atop the timesheets but Oliver Bearman jumped to a surprise third (1.548s adrift) after logging 130 laps in the Haas VF-26.
Bearman’s improvement came via a late soft-tire run, shuffling George Russell down to fourth as Mercedes recovered from morning gremlins, save for Russell’s minor off-track excursion at the notorious Turn 10.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar bounced back strongly in the afternoon, slotting into fifth with a 1m36.561s on softs, edging Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto to sixth
Russell wasted no time, surging to fourth overall with a 1m35.466s after 54 laps, trading blows with Bearman in a virtual duel that showcased Mercedes’ recovery pace on mediums, though their total mileage remained hampered by the morning’s setback.
Isack Hadjar redeemed Red Bull’s morning woes in fifth after accumulating 87 laps, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto impressed in sixth after completing over 67 laps in the afternoon. Gasly, Bottas, Albon and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten.
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Lando Norris tops red-flagged Bahrain F1 test Day 1, Max Verstappen logs most laps
