Sakhir Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Russell on a Roll, Leclerc at a Standstill
George Russell intends to maximize his chances of shining this weekend. He once again dominated the free practice sessions while reliability is once again lacking at Ferrari.
This is of course the big question of the weekend: how will George Russell perform, as he has the most competitive car on the grid? If this Friday is any indication, then the answer might be that he will continue his streak of never being beaten in qualifying by his teammate in F1.
Thus, he once again set the best time in the second session, as shown in the Grand Prix of Sakhir – Free Practice 1: Russell impresses, Bottas disappoints.
“> he had already done it during the first session this afternoon. The comparison with his weekend teammate is all the more cruel for the latter as he is in an anonymous eleventh place!
All the drivers and teams have thus discovered this new track, which proves to be more surprising than expected. Sebastian Vettel treated us to his usual stylistic figures, including a spin right in front of Pietro Fittipaldi’s Haas, which could have ended very badly. The Brazilian driver is replacing Romain Grosjean this weekend.
The ranking of this second session is interesting as we see that four drivers from as many different teams are at the forefront, with George Russell leading Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Sergio Perez (Racing Point), and Esteban Ocon (Renault). While the McLarens are currently behind, with Carlos Sainz in 10th and Lando Norris in 17th, last weekend proved that the orange team knows how to turn the situation around by Sunday.
As for Ferrari, the session was unproductive for Charles Leclerc, once again the victim of his not-so-rearing horse. Stuck in sixth gear coming out of the last corner of his first lap, he managed to return to his pit but was unable to come back out before the end of the session as it was necessary to change his gearbox. He did not set any time.
Results of Free Practice 2 of the Sakhir GP
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 0:54.713 | 48 | |
| 2 | Verstappen | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | 0:54.841 | +0.128 | 43 |
| 3 | Perez | BWT Racing Point F1 Team | 0:54.866 | +0.153 | 52 |
| 4 | Ocon | Renault DP World F1 Team | 0:54.940 | +0.227 | 50 |
| 5 | Albon | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | 0:55.036 | +0.323 | 42 |
| 6 | Kvyat | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 0:55.068 | +0.355 | 58 |
| 7 | Stroll | BWT Racing Point F1 Team | 0:55.104 | +0.391 | 44 |
| 8 | Ricciardo | Renault DP World F1 Team | 0:55.124 | +0.411 | 47 |
| 9 | Gasly | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 0:55.133 | +0.420 | 48 |
| 10 | Sainz Jr. | McLaren F1 Team | 0:55.258 | +0.545 | 39 |
| 11 | Bottas | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 0:55.321 | +0.608 | 52 |
| 12 | Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 0:55.484 | +0.771 | 54 |
| 13 | Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 0:55.533 | +0.820 | 57 |
| 14 | Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 0:55.738 | +1.025 | 49 |
| 15 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 0:55.784 | +1.071 | 52 |
| 16 | Vettel | Scuderia Ferrari | 0:55.830 | +1.117 | 43 |
| 17 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 0:56.031 | +1.318 | 14 |
| 18 | Fittipaldi | Haas F1 Team | 0:56.110 | +1.397 | 56 |
| 19 | Aitken | Williams Racing | 0:56.260 | +1.547 | 58 |
| 20 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | Pas de temps | 2 |
