Bahrain Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Verstappen leads, Norris follows close behind
Just like this morning, Verstappen dominated the second practice session with a lap of 1:30.847. Norris and Hamilton completed the podium.
Under the lights of the Sakhir circuit, Verstappen set the fastest time of the free practice session in 1:30.847. Norris placed second just 95 milliseconds behind the Dutchman. Hamilton finished third ahead of Sainz in fourth place.
As the drivers are preparing for qualifying, Leclerc was the first driver out on track and set a timed lap of 1:32.327. During his out lap, Mazepin spun, triggering a slight yellow flag.
Verstappen sets the fastest lap after the first run in 1:31.842 ahead of Sainz, Gasly, and Perez who are within less than a tenth of a second.
The Mercedes were in trouble on their first flying lap: Hamilton’s time was cancelled for exceeding track limits while Bottas was impeded by Tsunoda. The Finn made up for it on his second lap by taking the lead in the standings with a time of 1:31.503 before Hamilton beat him, two tenths faster.
Kimi Räikkönen went off at turn 2 on a kerb hit during acceleration. The driver hit the barriers damaging his front wing but managed to return to the pits. He rejoined the track later in the session.
Shortly before mid-session, the drivers switched to soft tires after making their first stint on mediums. Verstappen set his fastest time in 1:30.847 ahead of a very good Norris by just +0.095s. Hamilton, Sainz, Bottas, and Ricciardo follow. The McLarens are in good shape while the Mercedes struggled mainly in the first sector. Tsunoda, Stroll, Gasly, and Perez complete the top 10.
The last part of the session focused on medium or hard tires. Few improvements for the drivers but crucial benchmarks for qualifying and the race. As a reminder, free practice sessions 1 and 2 were shortened to only last one hour.
Mercedes drivers have often complained about a lack of grip, poor balance, and approximate settings. Although their lap times have not been affected, will they have solved their problems for qualifying and the race? The last free practice session will be essential.
Complete classification of Free Practice 2:
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:30.847 | 23 | |
| 2 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1.30.942 | +0.095 | 25 |
| 3 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:31.082 | +0.235 | 24 |
| 4 | Sainz Jr. | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:31.127 | +0.280 | 26 |
| 5 | Bottas | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:31.218 | +0.371 | 23 |
| 6 | Ricciardo | McLaren F1 Team | 1:31.230 | +0.383 | 22 |
| 7 | Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:31.294 | +0.447 | 23 |
| 8 | Stroll | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:31.393 | +0.546 | 24 |
| 9 | Gasly | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:31.483 | +0.636 | 27 |
| 10 | Perez | Red Bull Racing | 1:31.503 | +0.656 | 23 |
| 11 | Ocon | Alpine F1 Team | 1:31.601 | +0.754 | 24 |
| 12 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:31.612 | +0.765 | 26 |
| 13 | Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:31.740 | +0.893 | 27 |
| 14 | Vettel | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:31.769 | +0.922 | 26 |
| 15 | Alonso | Alpine F1 Team | 1:31.770 | +0.923 | 24 |
| 16 | Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:31.862 | +1.015 | 15 |
| 17 | Russell | Williams Racing | 1:32.331 | +1.484 | 28 |
| 18 | Schumacher | Haas F1 Team | 1:33.297 | +2.450 | 24 |
| 19 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 1:33.400 | +2.553 | 28 |
| 20 | Mazepin | Haas F1 Team | 1:33.449 | +2.602 | 19 |
