Charles Leclerc led the field in Thursday's second day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, the Ferrari driver edging AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly in the afternoon session.
Leclerc vaulted to the top of the timesheet with a 1m19.689s on the C3 tyre , overhauling the morning pacesetter, McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo, and becoming the first driver to dip into the 1m19s.
But Gasly, who topped the day's individual mileage with 147 laps, also broke the 1m20 barrier with the help of a fresh set of C4 soft tyres, while Ricciardo concluded his day a strong third, confirming the strength of McLaren's MCL36.
Barcelona Pre-Season Test - Day 2
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Tyre | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1m19.689s | C3 | 79 |
| 2 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1m19.918s | C4 | 147 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1m20.288s | C4 | 126 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1m20.537s | C3 | 66 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1m20.546s | C3 | 71 |
| 6 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1m20.784s | C3 | 74 |
| 7 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1m21.430s | C2 | 78 |
| 8 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas | 1m21.512s | C3 | 42 |
| 9 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1m21.531s | C3 | 47 |
| 10 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 1m21.885s | C3 | 71 |
| 11 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1m21.894s | C3 | 61 |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1m21.920s | C2 | 55 |
| 13 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1m21.949s | C3 | 66 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1m22.164s | C3 | 125 |
| 15 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m22.288s | C3 | 21 |
| 16 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m22.562s | C2 | 40 |
George Russell, who took over from Lewis Hamilton, propelled Mercedes back up the order to finish fourth quickest, just ahead of morning runner Carlos Sainz.
Among those who took to the track in the afternoon, Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel clocked in fifth, while Nikita Mazepin pulled Haas up to P8 despite suffering a damaged fuel pump earlier in the day that caused a red flag and the second stoppage of the week.
Over at Alfa Romeo, the Swiss outfit finally enjoyed a trouble-free session and a productive day that will have boosted the team's morale after its early troubles.
F1 rookie Guanyu Zhou rounded off the top-ten with 71 laps under his belt, just ahead of Williams' Nicholas Latifi in P11.
Alpine's Esteban Ocon, taking his first turn at the wheel of the French outfit's A522, ran consistently all day but only managed the 14th fastest time, while morning runners and former Mercedes teammates Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton unusually brought up the rear.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
