F1 testing: Ferrari’s Leclerc sets the pace in Bahrain on day 2

Charles Leclerc topped the second day of Formula 1’s Bahrain preseason test as the new competitive order continued to be shrouded in mystery ahead of the coming year.

Leclerc’s time of 1:34.273 was set during the day and remained at the top of the order until the end of running. Headline times remain hard to read into, but Ferrari’s hugely productive day of 139 laps will continue the intrigue around exactly where the Italian team is relative to its main rivals under F1’s new set of aerodynamic and engine regulations.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished second in the order, 0.5 seconds off Leclerc’s earlier time, and also recorded a mammoth 149 laps, with McLaren continuing its strong preseason. Third-placed Oliver Bearman was 1.121 seconds behind Norris, with 130 laps in the Ferrari-powered Haas.

More curious was what happened to the other two teams who have made up F1’s ‘Big Four’ in recent years.

Mercedes’ unspectacular start to the Bahrain test continued with a day scuppered by an issue which required a power unit change early in the day, limiting Kimi Antonelli to just four laps before lunch.

Preseason favourite George Russell managed 55 laps after the break and a time good enough for fourth in the order, but the feeling of Mercedes’ untouchable position at the top of the order — believed for months leading into the new regulations and strengthened by a strong showing during Barcelona’s Shakedown — has started to fade this week.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had talked up Red Bull as the benchmark team after the first day of testing on Wednesday, but they also had a difficult day. An issue in the morning limited running, while Isack Hadjar’s stint behind the wheel was less spectacular than Max Verstappen’s on Wednesday.

Hadjar, 2.2s down on Leclerc’s lead time, recovered from the early delay to complete 87 laps. Four-time world champion Verstappen will return to the wheel for Friday’s final day.

A key talking point coming into this season was whether (or when) Aston Martin might come good on team owner Lawrence Stroll’s promises of becoming title contenders under this new rule change. Early going suggests patience will be key, with the green car continuing to labour down at the southern end of the timing screens as its slow start to testing continued.

Fernando Alonso finished the session with a healthy 98 laps, but it was comments his teammate made to the media which dominated headlines.

As Alonso circulated on track, Lance Stroll gave a glum assessment about where the team is right now, suggesting they are multiple seconds off the pace and not likely to be in the mix for instant victories. Alonso finished the day 4.6 seconds adrift of Leclerc’s quickest time.

Team boss Adrian Newey has promised a fast rate of progress in development, both on the car side and from the team’s new exclusive engine partner, Honda, but the scale of the job facing the team is becoming clear this week.

There were a few stoppages during the day, with Norris’ McLaren briefly coming to a halt half way down the pit-lane, while Pierre Gasly’s Alpine briefly broke down at Turn 1 in the evening. Despite that stoppage, Gasly clocked 97 laps, while Williams drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz completed 131 laps in the other Mercedes-powered car. It continued Williams’ solid start to testing, which followed the decision to miss Barcelona’s Shakedown entirely after missing preseason car build targets.

Cadillac triggered two delays to the session, first when Sergio Perez stopped on track in the first session, and again when teammate Valtteri Bottas was in the car in the evening — two bits of debris flew off his car down the main straight, briefly triggering a red flag, but Cadillac still recorded 107 laps between its drivers. New team Audi also completed 114 laps.

Final times on day 2:

1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 1:34.273, 139 laps

2. Lando Norris, McLaren, 1:34.784, 149 laps

3. Oliver Bearman, Haas, 1:35.394, 130 laps

4. George Russell, Mercedes, 1:35.466, 54 laps

5. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull, 1:36.561, 87 laps

6. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi, 1:36.670, 67 laps

7. Pierre Gasly, Alpine, 1:36.723, 97 laps

8. Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac, 1:36.824, 67 laps

9. Alex Albon, Williams, 1:37.229, 62 laps

10. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi, 1:37.266, 47 laps

11. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls, 1:37.470, 83 laps

12. Carlos Sainz, Williams 1:37.592, 69 laps

13. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, 1:38.017, 50 laps

14. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, 1:38.248, 98 laps

15. Sergio Perez, Cadillac, 1:38.653, 42 laps

16. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, no time set, 3 laps