Bahrain GP: Leclerc on top in FP2 as Mercedes regresses

Charles Leclerc emerged fastest from a frantic second practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with Ferrari finding its feet at Sepang as the much-feared rain ultimately stayed away.

Leclerc posted a 1m37.528s to edge Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar by just 0.099s, while reigning world champion Lando Norris completed the top three.

With Formula 1 back at Sepang for the first time since 2017, teams had little recent data to fall back on and a 90% rain forecast added another layer of urgency to the one-hour session.

• 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

The possibility of a sudden downpour transformed the usual practice routine. All 22 drivers were on track early, with the medium tyre initially the compound of choice.

FP1 pace-setter Max Verstappen again led the way, setting a 1m37.785s to put 0.235s between his Red Bull and George Russell’s Mercedes. Leclerc was third, 0.254s adrift, ahead of Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.

But nobody was willing to gamble on waiting until the final stages for qualifying simulations.

Just 20 minutes into the session, teams began switching to the soft tyre, producing an unusually early flurry of representative lap times.

Leclerc took full advantage, lowering the benchmark to 1m37.528s. Norris followed closely behind on a 1m37.627s after McLaren adjusted his setup towards a configuration closer to team-mate Oscar Piastri’s.

Mercedes misses its chance

The early soft-tyre runs reshuffled the order, with Mercedes unable to capitalize on the extra grip.

Both Russell and Antonelli failed to improve significantly on their red-tyre attempts after losing time in the final sector. Verstappen, meanwhile, remained on the mediums, while Hadjar switched to fresh softs and vaulted into second with a 1m37.627s.

From there, the timing screens effectively froze.

Several drivers switched back to older tyres and concentrated on race simulations, while the anticipated rain continued to hold off. With track conditions no longer producing meaningful improvements, Leclerc, Hadjar and Norris retained the top three positions.

The session’s most entertaining moment came courtesy of Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto, who went wheel-to-wheel across virtually the entire lap before Bortoleto briefly seized the advantage at Turn 1, only for Lawson to fight back.

Bortoleto then brought proceedings to an untimely halt when his Audi stopped in the middle sector, triggering a Virtual Safety Car in the closing minutes.

Verstappen therefore settled for fourth, 0.257s off Leclerc, with Hamilton fifth on 1m37.833s.

Piastri recovered strongly from 11th in FP1 to take sixth, ahead of Russell and Antonelli, who finished seventh and eighth respectively. Lawson was ninth, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.

The rain never came. The competitive picture, however, remains decidedly unsettled.

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