Bahrain – Free Practice 2: Hamilton and Mercedes Shine Under the Spotlights

This second free practice session in Bahrain begins at 5:00 PM French time, due to the organization of a night Grand Prix this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the circuit. The sun is setting and the temperatures are dropping.

At the beginning of this session, the wind seems to pick up while the artificial lighting is turned on.

At Lotus, Romain Grosjean hits the track directly in hopes of a better car than the one from the morning, deemed catastrophic. Adrian Sutil is the first driver to set a time of 1:39.438 in these nighttime conditions. This time is quickly beaten by several drivers who are rediscovering this circuit in a new light. Minor issue for Daniil Kvyat with the gearbox, while the two McLarens take the lead.

Nico Rosberg gives Sergio Perez a slight scare as the Mexican was about to overtake him, with the German moving aside slowly and almost hitting the Force India. The incident will be reviewed after the session. Lewis Hamilton is leading ahead of Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo. These three drivers are followed by Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, while Nico Hülkenberg is the 5th and last driver within the same second as the leader.

After the first half-hour, it is at this point that the soft tires become noticeable. The first driver to set a time with them is Romain Grosjean, who still ends up more than a second behind Lewis Hamilton. But the Frenchman is quickly hampered by an engine problem.

In the meantime, neither of the Williams drivers has completed a single lap; the drivers aren’t even in the garage: the team feels very confident after the winter testing carried out on this circuit. Switching to soft tires doesn’t shake up the top of the leaderboard, with Lewis Hamilton taking the lead over Nico Rosberg after a few minutes. The 2008 world champion puts Fernando Alonso, in 3rd, over a second behind. At Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo registers the 4th fastest time while Daniil Kvyat manages to slot in between Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen. The Russian is then outpaced by Sebastian Vettel, as the Williams drivers get into their cars midway through the session.

For the rest of the pack, Sauber is ahead of Lotus, Marussia, and Caterham. A lot of work is expected at Lotus, as Maldonado took off on a curb, damaging the front of his front wing. Max Chilton had a very violent spin, with the left front brake having exploded, causing a total brake lock at the rear with the electronic system: the Briton comes to a stop on the track while the drivers start long stints. Another retirement with Adrian Sutil, who stops his car on the side, while Felipe Massa sets a first time for 13th place on medium tires.

During the last half-hour, Romain Grosjean’s car is at a standstill: Renault engineers are working on its hybrid block. Valtteri Bottas sets his first lap of the day for the 17th fastest time while all the other drivers are in race simulations. Pastor Maldonado returns to the track along with his teammate, while Daniil Kvyat apparently has some trouble understanding the setup change requested over the radio. Yet, it shouldn’t be the engine noise that’s bothering the Russian. On the track, Fernando Alonso encounters… Nico Hülkenberg: the two men are definitely inseparable, much to the Spaniard’s dismay. Felipe Massa sets the 5th fastest time in the last quarter-hour with the help of soft tires. Marcus Ericsson stops his car on the side of the track.

It is therefore Lewis Hamilton who sets the fastest time of this session, the Englishman taking a good option for the qualifications and the race ahead of his teammate.

Free Practice 2 Results of the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix: