F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Leclerc puts Ferrari in charge on Day 2 in Barcelona

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.

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Michael Delaney

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