Bahrain Test Day 2: Carlos Sainz Jr. 2 tenths off qualifying time 2023
At the end of the second day of winter testing, which saw the first red flag of the two days, here's a summary of what happened on track on Thursday.
On a rather calm morning, Red Bull was the first to encounter some issues. Sergio Pérez, who took the wheel of the RB20 for the first time during these winter tests, remained in the garage for some time due to a brake problem.
On the track, Charles Leclerc set the fastest time of the morning in 1:31.750. A few tens of minutes after he set this time, the Ferrari driver and Lewis Hamilton both run over a water evacuation grate that had come loose from the kerb at turn 11.
The red flag was then brought out, and the morning session was interrupted an hour before its scheduled end. To make up for lost time, F1 is offering an extra hour in the afternoon to teams and drivers. Some teams then change their plans, and Sergio Pérez is announced to be at the wheel of the RB20 all day, with Verstappen originally scheduled to take to the track in the afternoon.
Carlos Sainz Jr. set the fastest time on soft tires.
Like yesterday, the stopwatches are falling thanks to the improvement of the track and the decrease in temperature. Carlos Sainz Jr., Lewis Hamilton and even Lando Norris take advantage to improve their times on medium tires.
The Spanish driver, who took over Charles Leclerc’s place in the Ferrari, will then be the first driver from the top teams to use the soft tires. He will take advantage of this to set the best time of these two days of winter testing: 1:29.921.
At Red Bull, Sergio Pérez is still facing some issues in the afternoon, but the electronics will sort everything out and the Mexican driver will eventually climb back to the second position, more than seven tenths behind Carlos Sainz Jr., but on medium tires.
At the end of the session, Alpine, Ferrari, and Red Bull mechanics practiced pit stops before the FIA initiated programs for yellow and red flags, as well as Safety Car restarts.
Max Verstappen, Alexander Albon, and George Russell are the three drivers who did not take to the track today.
The ranking of the second day of preseason testing 2024
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:29.921 | 84 | |
| 2 | Perez | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:30.679 | +0.758 | 129 |
| 3 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:31.066 | +1.145 | 123 |
| 4 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:31.256 | +1.335 | 52 |
| 5 | Ricciardo | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team | 1:31.361 | +1.440 | 88 |
| 6 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:31.750 | +1.829 | 54 |
| 7 | Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:32.029 | +2.108 | 96 |
| 8 | Ocon | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:32.061 | +2.140 | 78 |
| 9 | Bottas | Stake F1 Team | 1:32.227 | +2.306 | 97 |
| 10 | Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | 1:32.328 | +2.407 | 35 |
| 11 | Sargeant | Williams Racing | 1:32.578 | +2.657 | 117 |
| 12 | Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:33.053 | +3.132 | 31 |
| 13 | Guanyu | Stake F1 Team | 1:33.715 | +3.794 | 38 |
| 14 | Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:33.804 | +3.883 | 33 |
| 15 | Magnussen | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:36.611 | +6.690 | 93 |
| 16 | Hülkenberg | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:37.509 | +7.588 | 31 |
| 17 | Tsunoda | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team | 1:38.074 | +8.153 | 40 |
