Bahrain Day 2 Testing: Ocon sets fastest time at noon, fire for Latifi
For this second day of testing, the drivers were shown two flags. As for the fastest time of this session, it is set by Esteban Ocon.
This Friday morning, Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), and George Russell (Mercedes) kicked off the testing session. The three drivers quickly had their spotlight stolen by Lando Norris, who was on the track as a replacement for his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who is still ill.
Like yesterday morning, the Monégasque from Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, set the fastest time of the morning in C3 before being narrowly beaten by Esteban Ocon in 1:34.276 in his fully pink Alpine, which he was driving in C4.
On the Mercedes side, the concept of the W13 has once again made headlines. Their Italian rival Ferrari has demanded an explanation and verification of its legality. Their driver George Russell completed numerous laps and took the opportunity to test different ranges of tires, from C3 to C1.
Moreover, it seems that turn 10 of the circuit caused some problems for the drivers this morning. When Nicholas Latifi locks the front wheels of his Williams, Yuki Tsunoda slightly goes straight.
The real problems occurred at 9:45 for the drivers, after the first red flag. Canadian driver Nicholas Latifi lost control of his car and the rear brakes caught fire. However, Latifi emerged unharmed unlike the FW44, which probably won’t be back on the track today.
As he was about to go back on the track, Lando Norris’ McLaren stayed in the garage. The team was still working on the brakes, which the driver complained about after the first day of testing.
The morning wasn’t ideal either for Sebastian Vettel. Indeed, the Aston Martin driver stopped on the Outer track of Bahrain after experiencing a mechanical issue. Although he was able to continue in C3, his stint didn’t last long as the FIA decided to test the red flag procedure 15 minutes before the end of the morning session.
The problems then continued one after another, with Max Verstappen getting stuck at the pit-lane exit due to a red light, and Valtteri Bottas coming to a complete stop in the middle of the track due to a technical failure of his Alfa Romeo, which was on hard tires.
As for Haas, Mick Schumacher was behind the wheel this morning, after Pietro Fittipaldi yesterday afternoon. However, the driver had to end his session due to exhaust issues.
The trials of this Friday, March 11th, will resume at 1pm.
The timetable
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocon | Alpine F1 Team | 1:34.276 | 59 | |
| 2 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:34.366 | +0.090 | 54 |
| 3 | Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:35.874 | +1.598 | 45 |
| 4 | Vettel | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:36.020 | +1.744 | 46 |
| 5 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:36.354 | +2.078 | 29 |
| 6 | Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:36.802 | +2.526 | 44 |
| 7 | Bottas | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:36.987 | +2.711 | 25 |
| 8 | Schumacher | Haas F1 Team | 1:37.846 | +3.570 | 23 |
| 9 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:38.585 | +4.309 | 67 |
| 10 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 1:39.845 | +5.569 | 12 |
