F1 Bahrain pre-season test - Day 2
Minute by minute updates on the second day of the 2023 F1 Bahrain pre-season test
After Max Verstappen topped yesterday's opening day of running for Red Bull, on-track action resumes from 07:00 GMT (10:00 local time).
All three days follow the same schedule, with running taking place from 10:00 until 14:15, and from 15:15 until 19:30 (all local time), pausing for a lunch break.
All 10 teams are set to be in action for the Bahrain pre-season test, the only opportunity teams will have to properly put their cars through their paces before the 2023 season proper gets under way next weekend.
More: F1 Bahrain test driver line-up
The Bahrain pre-season test will take place on 23-25 February ahead of the 2023 F1 season opener at the same venue, the Bahrain Grand Prix, on 3-5 March.
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Several drivers will remain on-board for the afternoon, including Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. Zhou and Sargeant will also go the distance for Alfa and Williams respectively.
While you're waiting for action to resume, check out the tech secrets from testing so far: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/uncovering-the-first-f1-tech-secrets-of-2023-cars-in-testing/10435710/
Max Verstappen gets back aboard the Red Bull this afternoon after taking sole custody of the RB19 yesterday. But who else will be driving and when? Filip Cleeren has prepared a helpful guide, which you can find here: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/2023-f1-bahrain-test-preview-who-is-driving-and-when/10435119/
I'm going to follow in the footsteps of the F1 grid and get some lunch, so I'll hand you back over to James Newbold for the next live stint.
Thanks Megan. Not long to go now until action resumes. In the meantime, we've been having a think about more Bahrain GP memories from years gone by. Toyota never won a grand prix in Formula 1, but it arguably should have done in 2009 when the Japanese cars built in Germany (confused yet?) annexed the front row. Jarno Trulli finished third, Timo Glock languished in seventh as Jenson Button continued his winning run for Brawn.
It's amazing to think that we're already halfway through pre-season testing. Back in the day when teams had dedicated test teams running every week, it would be hard to imagine today's cap of just three days. Perhaps all things considered it's little wonder that teams have put such a premium on reliability with so little margin for error.
One potential upside to the reduced number of days is that I spend less time overall trawling through the Motorsport Images galleries looking for obscure testing pictures to prod fellow anoraks with. Any guesses who this might be, putting a Williams through its paces in 2002? You earn brownie points for correct answers, but no physical brownies I'm afraid.
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Less than 20 minutes to go then until the afternoon session gets underway. Any predictions? (Other than Zhou having a slightly sore neck by this evening?)
As a reminder, Carlos Sainz set the fastest time from the morning session, so it's a 1m32.846s that the rest will be aiming at if they want an easy PR-win. But Sainz didn't go purple in all three sectors - Logan Sargeant was quickest through the middle sector, so the best possible laptime (with all caveats included) was a 1m32.375s.
For anybody who has yet to guess the identity of the mystery 2002 Williams tester we posted around 10 minutes ago, maybe this might help you out.
Sun
Ahead of the afternoon session, we have track temperatures of 41.7 °C and air temps of 30.1 °C. Toasty.
Breaking news
If you're looking for some lunchtime reading, why not check out our latest Friday favourite feature, covering the last time Formula 1 saw an all-French lineup back in 1994? As you may have guessed, the story involves Ligier: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/friday-favourite-the-last-all-french-f1-pairing-that-reunited-a-title-winning-duo/10435113/
Max Verstappen has clambered aboard the Red Bull, giving us hope that - unlike yesterday - we may see some cars in action right from the start of the afternoon running.
Green flag
The afternoon session is go and Zhou Guanyu is straight out onto the track to get the running under way.
Zhou is alone on the track at the moment with several teams still busy beavering away at their cars in the garages.
Well done to those of you who guessed the mystery Williams tester. It was of course Giorgio Pantano, who made his single Bahrain GP start with Jordan in 2004. It wasn't a memorable one as the Italian, a maestro in karting who came within a whisker of winning the 2002 F3000 title, finished two laps adrift in 16th. He fell off the grid before the end of the 2004 season and returned to GP2, winning the title in 2008 - but by then the door to an F1 return was closed.
Verstappen has now joined Zhou out on the track. What will we see from the double world champion, who topped yesterday's times?
Stopwatch
The first timed lap from Verstappen is a 1m32.815s, slotting him straight into third. No messing about from the Dutchman.
None too shabby particularly with Verstappen having set that time on the hardest C0 tyre. That only underlines how much more pace the Red Bull has in hand if it were to run on the softer rubber.
Verstappen is trickling around the track on what looks like a second cool down lap. Will another push lap be coming up?
Helmet on, pacing at the front of the garage like he's waiting for a Toyota LMP1 car to take over, Fernando Alonso looks impatient to get going. Aston clearly making a few adjustments before the Spaniard gets back aboard.
As Zhou comes in, Ferrari and AlphaTauri ensure we still get our fill of noise by sending out Leclerc and De Vries.
Verstappen has fired it up and improves again, this time to a 1m32.519s that leaves him just a fraction behind Sainz. He improved in his first two sectors, but lost time in the final stanza.
Stopwatch
A 1m34.507s is Leclerc's first effort of the afternoon, running medium tyres on his Ferrari.
Oscar Piastri now joins the fray for McLaren, with de Vries the only other driver out on track at the moment in his AlphaTauri.
A 1m36.844 is Piastri's first time on the board, but it's only good for 13th right now. Alpine, Haas, Mercedes, Aston and Williams are all yet to emerge in the afternoon session.
Leclerc, tenth on the timesheets right now, heads back out for another flyer on the C2 tyres.
But it doesn't lead to a time as he heads back into the pits having failed to improve in the first two sectors. Meanwhile Nico Hulkenberg has been strapped into the Haas and looks ready to go.
Just 0.063s currently separates the top three currently, with Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams in that bunch. Cheering for the Grove team, although Sargeant's time was set on the softs and therefore isn't totally representative. Still, a good job from the rookie, who is America's first F1 driver since Alex Rossi with Manor in 2015.
Stopwatch
Hulkenberg is running on the C2 tyres and posts his first effort of the day, a 1m35.196s to go 11th in the order.
Gasly goes 14th on his first effort for Alpine of the afternoon, but the man to watch is Verstappen who is on course to improve and knock Sainz off the top spot.
Stopwatch
And with a 1m31.863s, Verstappen does just that to retake his place at the top of the timesheets. Tellingly, that was despite not setting a purple third sector on his C3 tyres.
Morning runners Sargeant, Alonso and Zhou rejoin the fray for their afternoon workout, so the track is looking pretty busy right now.
Stopwatch
Gasly improves with a 1m35.924s, but it's not enough to move him up a place and he instead gets shuffled back as De Vries launches up to 12th with a 1m35.259s.
We're still waiting for news from Aston Martin on Lance Stroll's participation in next week's grand prix. Should he have to sit it out, Felipe Drugovich will likely be called up for his F1 debut, but he wouldn't be the first Brazilian to make his bow in Bahrain. Bruno Senna (pictured) and Lucas di Grassi both had short-lived debut outings in the 2010 race with the HRT and Virgin squads respectively.
Charles Leclerc improves to a 1m34.272s, but still stays tenth in his Ferrari. Plenty of time yet for heroics from the 2022 Bahrain GP winner as track temps continue to fall. They're currently at 38.5 °C, with air temps now at 29.1 °C.
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Breaking news
George Russell is now on track in the Mercedes, having taken over from Lewis Hamilton. He spoke to media in the lunch break, and says the team has been left with a “good problem” to solve with its new W14 Formula 1 car: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/russell-mercedes-has-good-problems-to-solve-with-2023-f1-car/10435959/
As Russell heads back into the pits after that brief spurt, Piastri, De Vries and Sargeant are left alone on the track.
As the sun starts to show signs of its disappearing act, I shall do likewise now and hand over the controls to Haydn Cobb.
By: Autosport Staff
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