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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A replay has just shown that Russell was stuck in fourth gear at the time he stopped with a potential hydraulic issue at play as he also lost the steering. This could well be the end of the day for Mercedes.
There hasn't been much for the marshals to do during this test and they're now being called into action to retrieve the stricken Mercedes.
Russell is watching on as the trackside workers aren't exactly in a hurry to get the Mercedes cleared...
A group of Mercedes mechanics are now being transported to the scene of the stoppage.
As annoying as this stoppage is for Mercedes, it's even more frustrating for the Black Arrows' rivals who are missing out on crucial running time in conditions that will represent the grand prix here next weekend.
For all of F1's technology, a huge black sheet is now being draped over the halted W14 as this stoppage extends into its 10th minute.
The Mercedes had just been lifted slightly off the ground by the telehandler on scene to allow the mechanics to cover the underside with the big black sheet, when the car rocks slightly into the ground at the rear - not what the Mercedes crew wanted to see.
It's now on the back of a flatbed truck, so shouldn't be too long before this session gets back under way.
Breaking news
We have an update from race control. The session will resume at 1814 local time, so about a minute from now.
Down at Mercedes, Ron Meadows briefs the troops ready for the W14 to make its return to the garage.
Green flag
At the other end of the pitlane, we're green again and - unsurprisingly - a whole queue of cars head out immediately.
Among those heading out is Verstappen - the Red Bull pacesetter having only set 18 laps so far this afternoon.
We've got some green mini-sectors on the timing screen, so might be getting some changes to the leaderboard now.
Stopwatch
Sure enough, de Vries shoots up from 12th to seventh in the AlphaTauri with a 1m33.145s, 1.5s down on his countryman Verstappen's best.
Breaking news
Williams leads the lap count chart again today and its new team boss James Vowles told the media earlier that his priority is to implement a new technical staff structure: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/vowles-new-f1-technical-structure-priority-for-williams/10435978/
Stopwatch
Alonso is also on a charge now and joins the group of drivers on 1m32.4s times as he moves to second on the leaderboard. So we've now got the same top two as we had yesterday.
As we head into this optimal running time, all the cars - aside from the stricken Mercedes - are now out on track.
In fact, we've now got so many cars on track, de Vries and Zhou are fighting for the same bit of track! The Alfa has a brief look at passing the AlphaTauri but, in the end, decides to drop back.
Stopwatch
De Vries is on the very softest of Pirelli's range, the C5, and becomes the fourth driver to set a 1m32.4s and displaces Alonso in second. But we know the other cars in that ballpark used harder rubber.
With that change in the leaderboard, it's time for a change on the live comms rota too, as Lewis Duncan will now guide you through the final hour of track action today.
With under an hour to go, Verstappen continues to lead the session from De Vries, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Sargeant, Leclerc, Zhou, Piastri and Gasly.
In theory, we should see some more soft tyre laps in the final hour now conditions are much more representative.
Stopwatch
De Vries has gone a bit quicker with a 1m32.222s in second to close the gap to Verstappen to 0.572s.
Believe it or not, 2023 marks 10 years since F1's final year of the V8 naturally aspirated engines. In fact, everything in the attached picture is no longer present on the F1 grid: V8s, narrow cars, Kimi Raikkonen and the Lotus name!
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 Renault
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Stopwatch
Alonso moves up to second in the Aston Martin with a 1m32.205s running the C3 tyre.
Mercedes' evening is also done after a hydraulics issue forced Russell to stop on track earlier.
Zhou is out there on the soft tyre and is on a push lap.
Stopwatch
Zhou leaps up to third in the Alfa Romeo with a 1m32.214s. Bottas and his questionable new hairstyle watches on, giving nothing away as to how he might have felt about that.
We're currently watching world champion Verstappen, though he's on a high fuel run right now as his latest effort was 6.3s off his best lap.
Leclerc is out on the C1 hard tyre as he begins a run.
Stopwatch
Zhou goes fastest overall in the Alfa Romeo with a 1m31.610s on the soft tyre. Bottas still doesn't give anything away as to how he feels about that.
Standing next to Bottas in pitlane is new Alfa boss Andreas Seidl who - from certain angles - looks a lot like our head of podcasts Martyn Lee!
There is just 21 minutes of running left, but realistically only six before the race direction system checks get underway in the final 15 minutes before the chequered flag.
Yellow flag
And there is the yellow flag, which will quickly become a VSC and then a red flag.
With that, Zhou and Alfa Romeo will end day two of the Bahrain test fastest of all.
Not all plain sailing for Alfa, though, as Zhou has stopped at the end of pitlane and is being wheeled back to his garage.
At Williams, the mechanics are huddled around Sargeant's car wearing yellow gloves suggesting there is some sort of electrical problem.
But the car has now been wheeled away, so everything appears to be ok at Williams now.
Red flag
Session has now been red-flagged, but - again - this is all part of the systems test.
Zhou appeared to have a clutch issue when he went to do a practice start at the end of pitlane. At Williams, Sargeant's car has been chained off even though the car is being shown as not live. Possibly a practice of the protocol for when there is an electrical systems issue.
By: Autosport Staff
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