Bahrain second 2014 test Test day two
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Keep an eye on AUTOSPORT for the rest of the day for all the reaction from Sakhir in news and analysis form.
Our Live coverage will resume at 6am UK time on Friday morning.
Our Live coverage will resume at 6am UK time on Friday morning.
Here's the final lap tally for the day:
Bottas (Williams) 116
Alonso (Ferrari) 97
Rosberg (Mercedes) 85
Kobayashi (Caterham) 66
Hulkenberg (Force India) 59
Vettel (Red Bull) 59
Vergne (Toro Rosso) 58
Gutierrez (Sauber) 55
Magnussen (McLaren) 46
Grosjean (Lotus) 18
Chilton (Marussia) 17
Bottas (Williams) 116
Alonso (Ferrari) 97
Rosberg (Mercedes) 85
Kobayashi (Caterham) 66
Hulkenberg (Force India) 59
Vettel (Red Bull) 59
Vergne (Toro Rosso) 58
Gutierrez (Sauber) 55
Magnussen (McLaren) 46
Grosjean (Lotus) 18
Chilton (Marussia) 17
It's 2.6s down on Vettel's Sakhir pole time, but teams are a long way off considering qualifying simulations in 2014 at present.
For reference, the Dane's 1m34.910s is 2s quicker than last year's fastest race lap in the Bahrain GP.
That burst of pace late on means Magnussen ends the day 1.535s clear of nearest rival (and Wednesday benchmark Hulkenberg).
Magnussen had only just left the pits, and he signs off the day with a new overall best time in the final sector before taking the flag.
Checkered flag
As the chequered flag comes out we have seven cars on track: Magnussen, Alonso, Rosberg, Bottas, Kobayashi, Vettel and Vergne.
Big improvement from Kobayashi, finding more than two seconds to vault from 10th to sixth in the Caterham.
Alonso draws attention to the timing screen with a personal best first sector and an overall best middle sector...
...and despite another personal best in the final sector, his improvement doesn't move him up from third place.
...and despite another personal best in the final sector, his improvement doesn't move him up from third place.
Pacesetter Magnussen has had a busy afternoon after only completing eight laps before stopping for lunch. He's in action again at the moment on a much longer run than the one that yielded that 1m34.9s earlier. The McLaren has now completed 41 laps.
Bottas improves slightly, but it doesn't affect his position.
Red Bull promises another run before the end of the day for Vettel, and on cue the German heads out as we enter the final 10 minutes.
We have a change at the bottom, with Kobayashi's Caterham finally jumping the garage-bound Marussia of Chilton for 10th.
40 minutes have passed since Vettel and Red Bull notched up their 50th lap (and then pitted). Now the world champion is back on track with 19 minutes to go.
Having backed off on that lap that was looking quick, Alonso stays out for one more slow tour and then brings the F14 T back to the pits.
The Ferrari is up to third with a 1m36.932s, and he's going quicker again.
Today's current top five (and Kobayashi) are all on track at the moment, and we have Alonso on course for a new personal best...
The huge readership figures for AUTOSPORT Live (hello and thank you to you all, by the way) prove that there's plenty of public appetite for the 2014 F1 season, but are the sport's chiefs doing enough to satisfy the fans?
In his column this week, JONATHAN NOBLE argues that F1 needs to follow other sports and capitalise on the likes of YouTube and Twitter rather than clamping down:
Time for F1 to embrace alternative media
In his column this week, JONATHAN NOBLE argues that F1 needs to follow other sports and capitalise on the likes of YouTube and Twitter rather than clamping down:
Time for F1 to embrace alternative media
Of the three cars on track, we have Hulkenberg lapping in the 1m41s, Rosberg in the 1m38s, and Bottas in the 1m39s.
Rosberg comes across the line to complete another lap, having run very wide off track at the exit of the final corner.
The McLaren returns to the pits after that short run. EDD STRAW reports that Magnussen was running the super-soft tyre.
Magnussen crosses the line half a second down on his current session-topping time, but that's still one second better than anyone else has managed today.
The Dane's next lap is a 1m58s, then he goes for it again. However, his first sector is 0.3s down on his best.
Stopwatch
Magnussen comes out of the pits and turns the wick up on his first flying lap - becoming the first man at this test to dip into the 1m34s. That puts him 2.5 seconds shy of last year's pole position.
Two consecutive improvements from Kobayashi brings Caterham within a couple of tenths of chief rival Marussia.
Stopwatch
And across the lap! Magnussen is the first man below 1m36s at this test. 1m35.4s is the new benchmark.
Magnussen is back into the fray and fastest of all in the first sector...
Hulkenberg back into the pits after his headline-grabbing run, leaving just Bottas and Vettel circulating with just over and hour to go.
Another strong lap from Hulkenberg: 1m36.6s and fastest of all in the final sector.
Hulkenberg is pressing on in the Force India. He's just done a a personal best in sector three and a 1m36.5s lap that's just a tenth shy of his best of the day.
Stopwatch
... And he moves up to third with another personal best in sector three. That puts him six tenths shy of Hulkenberg's pace and just a tenth adrift of Rosberg.
And Magnussen is straight onto a hot lap in MP4-29. He's fastest of all in sector one and does a personal best in sector two...
Kevin Magnussen hasn't done much driving for McLaren today (just 11 laps), but he's venturing back out now with 75 minutes of running left.
Marussia's troubles are apparently down to a fuel system problem. But the team is optimistic of getting back out before the end of the day to add to its 14 laps to date.
Stopwatch
The times are coming down in the last part of the day's running. Hulkenberg lowers the benchmark to 1m36.445s, while Rosberg joins him in the 36s for Mercedes.
EDD STRAW: "Pre-season testing hasn't been straightforward for Red Bull, but today counts as comfortably the most successful of its six days.
"Sebastian Vettel has managed 43laps so far. If he manages another two, he will match Red Bull's total lap count from the previous five days of testing. This probably won't be far off as he's out on the track now.
"All this is positive for Red Bull. It suggests that it is now making some tangible progress. Vettel is still four seconds off the pace, but right now its headline laptimes are irrelevant as the team plays catch-up."
"Sebastian Vettel has managed 43laps so far. If he manages another two, he will match Red Bull's total lap count from the previous five days of testing. This probably won't be far off as he's out on the track now.
"All this is positive for Red Bull. It suggests that it is now making some tangible progress. Vettel is still four seconds off the pace, but right now its headline laptimes are irrelevant as the team plays catch-up."
Green flag
Green again here in Bahrain with just under 90 minutes to go. Hulkenberg is the first man to head back out on track.
Mercedes recording activities
Glenn Freeman spotted somebody from Mercedes stationed towards the end of the back straight recording various cars as they pass by on full throttle.
GARY ANDERSON: "It's likely he will be recording the engine sound. From that, you can work out the engine RPM and gear ratio. And from that, probably the engine torque and the electrical torque that a given car is using to reach its top speed."
The Sauber has been returned to the pits so we should be back underway again soon.
By: Glenn Freeman, Matt Beer, Edd Straw, Ben Anderson, Pablo Elizalde
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