Charles Leclerc lit up the Bahrain circuit on Thursday morning, sending Ferrari to the top of the timesheets in the second session of Formula 1’s opening pre-season test – but the headline lap came amid a backdrop of mechanical headaches for several frontrunners.
Just over an hour into running, Leclerc unleashed a 1m34.273s in the SF-26, a time that edged comfortably ahead of Wednesday’s best effort from McLaren’s Lando Norris.
The Monegasque’s benchmark, however, came on soft tyres, while Norris once again relied on mediums to secure second place with a 1m34.784s.
Behind them, the gaps ballooned to more than two seconds — a misleading picture of the true pecking order, shaped less by outright performance and more by reliability gremlins stalking the paddock.
Mechanical Gremlins Disrupt the Order
Red Bull endured a frustrating morning, with Isack Hadjar managing only a solitary lap in the dying moments of the session. A suspected hydraulic leak discovered during the car’s build left the team scrambling, robbing Hadjar of crucial mileage he had been scheduled to collect throughout the day.
Mercedes fared little better. Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s session was cut brutally short after just three laps due to a power unit issue, leaving George Russell to shoulder the workload later in the afternoon.
Cadillac also flirted with early drama when Sergio Perez triggered a red flag on his out-lap, though the interruption proved brief. The Mexican returned to log 42 laps, ultimately posting a 1m38.653s – only marginally quicker than Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who brought up the rear of the morning runners.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly emerged as best of the rest with a 1m36.723s, ahead of Oliver Bearman, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg and Liam Lawson in a session where speed took a back seat to survival.
Bahrain-Day 2: Session times mid-day
| # | Driver | Team | Gap | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | — | 1:34.273 | 62 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.511 | 1:34.784 | 64 |
| 3 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +2.450 | 1:36.723 | 61 |
| 4 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +2.752 | 1:37.025 | 55 |
| 5 | Alex Albon | Williams | +2.956 | 1:37.229 | 62 |
| 6 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +2.993 | 1:37.266 | 47 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +3.744 | 1:38.017 | 50 |
| 8 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | +4.380 | 1:38.653 | 42 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +4.687 | 1:38.960 | 55 |
| 10 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | — | 11:54.791 | 3 |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | — | — | 1 |
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