Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe
Live text
Formula 1 Pre-Season Test

F1 Bahrain pre-season test - Day 2

Minute by minute updates on the second day of the 2024 F1 Bahrain pre-season test

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG, looks at the car of George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, in the garage

The 2024 F1 season has arrived with pre-season testing in Bahrain.

All 10 teams have completed their launches and are trying to use as much track time as possible to prepare for the new season during the three-day pre-season test.

With Red Bull coming off a stunning 2023 season when it won all but one grand prix, can any of its rivals take the fight to the defending world champions? Signs were ominous after Max Verstappen dominated the opening day of the test.

The Bahrain pre-season test will run between 21-23 February, with each day’s track action starting at 7am GMT (10am local time).

Live Text

Sort by
And he's purple in sector two!
Sainz is back out and green in sector one...
Stopwatch
A new personal best and this time it goes to Bottas. The Sauber driver jumps into P4 with a 1m32.401s on everyone's tyre of choice, the C3s.
Worth pointing out that only the Red Bull driver, Hamilton and Sargeant are running for the entirety of Thursday. Hamilton is on 67 laps while Sargeant is so far only on 48.
For those wondering about the progress of Perez, yes he's still running and yes he's now on 70 laps.
Norris is back out and we just can't get enough of that Gil de Ferran tribute helmet.

Photo by: Lando Norris

Stopwatch
We've had a flurry of personal times in the last moments. Sainz improves to a 1m33.303s as Riccardo lowers his best to a 1m34.026s - both on the C3s.
Stopwatch
And slotting in right behind the Australian is Stroll, who sets a 1m32.419s.
Piastri, incidentally, still sits P3 with his 1m32.328s from this morning's session.
Norris is getting belted back into his McLaren and looks like he'll be heading back out shortly. The Brit has only done 8 laps so far, alongside the 35 laps set by his team-mate Piastri.
After that personal best lap a few minutes ago, Hamilton is still out there on the C3s and has reached 60 laps for today.
Stopwatch
And the Spaniard's first lap is a 1m33.414s on the C3 tyre which puts him P8. A nice opening lap from Sainz if a little nervy in places.
Out on his first lap for today, Sainz hits the track for Ferrari.
And that's 60 laps for Perez. The Red Bull driver is still pounding around on those C1s and logging the miles. Maybe that 143-lap target set by Verstappen is within reach?
It leaves the Mercedes driver still over half a second back from Leclerc's session fastest.
Stopwatch
And he's green in sector three as Hamilton jumps into second with a 1m32.273s.
He's green in sector two...
Also back out is Hamilton and the Mercedes driver goes green in sector one on the C3s.
Sargeant is back out on track and locking up in his Williams at the tricky Turn 10 and having a huge oversteer moment on the exit.
Speaking of Ferrari, Sainz is putting on his helmet and ready to jump in for the afternoon and four hours of running - in theory at least.
New lap count leader alert! Perez hits 55 laps, overtaking the previous benchmark of 54 set by Leclerc.
Ocon is still out and running in P13 but given the Alpine driver is using the hardest tyre available to teams - the C1s - I don't think we'll be seeing him towards the top of the times just yet.
Replays show the Mexican locking up into the right-hand Turn 8 hairpin as he continues to put in the laps. That won't do his C1 tyre any good at all.
Going back to Perez for a moment, he becomes the third driver after Leclerc and Hamilton to hit the 50-lap mark today.
Stopwatch
Stroll is the next to improve, setting a 1m32.598s on the C3 compound which moves him up to P4.
Stopwatch
He wasn't the only one to improve either with their last lap, as Ocon set a 1m37.103s and occupies P12.
Stopwatch
And the Australian sets a 1m35.410s, moving into P9.
Fitted with the C3 tyre, Ricciardo goes green in sector one and sector two.
Ocon for Alpine also ventures back out having completed 13 laps so far, as does Stroll for Aston Martin.
Ricciardo heads out on track for RB to join Perez. A big year looms for both these drivers in the context of the second Red Bull seat...
To put things into perspective, Verstappen completed 143 laps yesterday. Still more than four hours left but many miles to go before Perez hits that milestone.
And then there was one... Perez is currently on 45 laps in total and running the C2 tyre. His times are a few seconds off his fastest lap - a 1m32.879s - so obviously a long race run is the plan for now.
And yet somehow they both find each other out on the circuit... Magnussen backs off into T13 in the final sector to let the Red Bull ahead before diving into the pits.
He also now heads for the pits, leaving just Perez and Magnussen out on track.
The Williams driver is currently third, 0.828s behind Leclerc's session best, but the American did set that time on the faster C4 tyre.
Sargeant is out on the C2s but backs off on his last lap after getting a kick of oversteer and running wide at T11 before carrying on.
Just as we say that, Bottas heads for the pits. The Finn has done 11 laps so far, with his 1m35.473s on the C3 tyre leaving him P9.
Personal best sectors are few and far between at the moment, with drivers and teams clearly focusing on long runs. Currently out on track are Sargeant, Perez, Bottas and Magnussen.
Norris is another to head for the pits having set a 1m37.154s on the C2 tyre which leaves him 12th.
Also out on track is Lance Stroll who goes green in the first two sectors, but the Aston Martin driver backs off and heads to the pits before completing the lap. The Canadian has still to set a time after just two laps so far.

By: Autosport Staff

Published: