On the second day of testing, a loose duct cover interrupted the tests. Verstappen’s Wednesday time destroyed by Sainz

The second day of testing in Bahrain offered only 7 hours on track instead of the planned 8. The teams coped with the reduced time without major problems and racked up a respectable number of laps, with only McLaren remaining in double figures. Verstappen’s absence left Sainz in first place.

Carlos Sainz set the fastest lap of the day

Shortly after the mid-morning four-hour mark, the track marshals raised the red flags. The channel cover had come loose at the entrance to Turn 11. Leclerc and Hamilton went over the metal cover, with the Monegasque hitting it twice.

The morning session was therefore ended early. But the teams were given an extra hour in the afternoon. Most of the drivers who had driven in the morning had their time behind the wheel significantly reduced. Ferrari resolved this time imbalance by changing drivers during the afternoon session. Red Bull kept Perez in their car despite the original plan, while the other teams did not change their plans.

Carlos Sainz set the fastest lap of the day. A time of 1:29.921 would have meant third place in qualifying in Bahrain last year, but he had a faster and softer set of tyres for today’s attempt.

Ferrari is having a good test so far. Due to a hole in the floor caused by the previously mentioned loose duct cover, the team had to fit a full replacement floor, but the SF-24 still managed to complete 138 laps. Both drivers were happy with the car’s on-track behavior. Even Alex Albon praised the Ferrari’s stability in the corners during the day.

Last year’s slowest team, Haas, arrived in Bahrain with a significantly modified monopost, which they hoped would address their biggest weakness – rapid tyre wear. The American stable therefore focused primarily on longer stints with higher fuel loads.

Haas’ times remained far behind the rest of the field, but the new team boss, Ajao Komacu, was nevertheless pleased with his team’s performance. Haas has a mostly full tank program planned for tomorrow as well.

Technical problems are not holding Red Bull back

Sergio Pérez’s RB20 struggled with technical problems all day. The Mexican had to pit twice involuntarily, once with a burning brake, the second time with a power unit problem. But the reliability woes didn’t have much effect on the team’s programme, Pérez managed to complete 129 laps and set the 2nd fastest time of the day, almost 7 tenths faster than Verstappen on Wednesday.

Williams let Alex Albon rest, leaving Sargeant to spend 117 laps behind the wheel. The American, like on the first day, had trouble taming his car at times, but there are only positive reports from the team.

Albon expects a more balanced performance from the new car in the corners and on the straights. The FW46 is unlikely to reach the blistering speeds of its predecessor.

Lewis Hamilton had his first encounter with his latest Mercedes. The Brackley team may have managed to resolve yesterday’s minor bouncing of the monoposto. In Hamilton’s hands, the W15 looked extremely stable in the corners.

Source: F1TV