Sainz edges Hamilton on Day 2 of Bahrain test

Carlos Sainz delivered a commanding performance on the second day of pre-season testing on Thursday at the Bahrain International Circuit, propelling Williams to the top of the timesheets.

The Spaniard clocked an impressive 1’29.348 shortly after the lunch break, marking the quickest lap of the week so far.

Sainz’s standout effort underscored his seamless transition to Williams, logging an astonishing 127 laps – the highest of any driver – after spending the entire day solo in the cockpit.

However, the former Ferrari driver was closely trailed by the Scuderia, with Lewis Hamilton ending the day just 0.031s behind Sainz, while Charles Leclerc also upheld the Italian outfit’s strength as the third fastest driver, 0.083s adrift from the day’s pacesetter.

Mercedes also showed strong form, with George Russell edging out rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli by a mere six-thousandths of a second to secure fifth place, demonstrating the Silver Arrows’ competitive edge.

However, not all teams enjoyed smooth sailing. Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, the other driver running solo for the day, fell short of the 100-lap mark, sidelined in the garage late in the morning with a suspected power unit issue, a setback that curtailed his mileage.

McLaren Prioritizes Long runs

Meanwhile, McLaren’s pace-setters from Day 1, Lando Norris, slipped down the order to P14, one spot behind his teammate Oscar Piastri, as the papaya pair prioritized longer runs over outright pace.

Norris tantalized fans with blistering sector times – including the fastest middle sector – but opted not to complete his laps, suggesting strategic sandbagging. Yet they finished ahead of only Sauber and Haas.

Haas, with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, again occupied the bottom spots, focusing on high-fuel endurance runs rather than flashy lap times, a pragmatic approach on Day 2.

As testing nears its climax, the pecking order remains fluid, setting the stage for an intriguing final day.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Best Time	Gap	Laps
1	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Williams	1’29.348		127
2	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1’29.379	0.031	45
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1’29.431	0.083	83
4	George Russell	Mercedes	1’29.778	0.430	71
5	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1’29.784	0.436	87
6	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1’30.229	0.881	57
7	Liam Lawson	Red Bull	1’30.252	0.904	91
8	Jack Doohan	Alpine	1’30.368	1.020	80
9	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1’30.430	1.082	40
10	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	1’30.675	1.327	94
11	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1’30.700	1.352	45
12	Yuki Tsunoda	Racing Bulls	1’30.793	1.445	46
13	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1’30.821	1.473	44
14	Lando Norris	McLaren	1’30.882	1.534	77
15	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	1’31.067	1.719	80
16	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	1’31.457	2.109	56
17	Esteban Ocon	Haas	1’33.071	3.723	69
18	Oliver Bearman	Haas	1’34.372	5.024	66