Ferrari bests Red Bull on the second pre-testing day.
SAKIR, Bahrain—Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Racing entry was the story on Wednesday’s first day of pre-season testing at the Sakir International Circuit, but that story shifted on day two. Carlos Sainz, who was much quicker in his Ferrari, set the fastest time (1:21:921) during the second day of the three-day test period. Sainz finished just ahead of Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez. But Perez’s failure to set a headline lap suggests that the Red Bull will still be quicker than any other car this season.
Lewis Hamilton, the third fastest of the day in his Mercedes, had to repair his car following running over a loose drain plug, which began when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc struck the object and loosened it after running wide at turn 11. The session, which had an hour left to run in the morning, was red-flagged for repairs and was made up later in the afternoon.
Lando Norris kept his steady pace in his McLaren, taking fourth, while Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth in his Visa Cash App Red Bull. Leclerc took sixth as seventh went to Lance Stroll in his Aston Martin. Esteban Ocon, who had a tough Day 1 in his Alpine, was more successful this day, taking eighth. Ninth went to Valtteri Bottas in the Sauber, while Oscar Piastri finished in the top ten in the second McLaren entry.
Logan Sargeant was the sole driver for the Williams team and continued but still couldn’t crack the top ten, finishing in 11th. Fernando Alonso in the second Aston Martin ended up a disappointing 12th, while Zhou Guangyu was 13th in his Sauber and Pierre Gasly registered 14th in the Alpine. The two Haas drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, remained near the last position for the test, finishing 15th and 16th. Yuki Tsunoda in the Visa Cash App car took 17th for the second consecutive day.
Friday will be the final day of testing, and most observers feel that the outcome will tell us a lot about how the first race of the year will likely turn out. That opening–The Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will take place at the same Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir–is only a week away, February 29 through March 2.
