Autobayng News Team
Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris headed the times sheets and the lap counts at the end of the second day of testing in Bahrain.
Neither driver improved the lap times they set during the first half of the test, which proved good enough to keep both on top. Norris completed the most laps of any individual driver, covering almost three grand prix distances in his new MCL40.
Red Bull and Mercedes made a slower start to Thursday’s running, covering only a handful of laps between them before the lunch break. Isack Hadjar enjoyed a much more productive evening in the RB22, adding 86 laps to his tally.
George Russell didn’t manage quite as many after taking over from team mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He beat Hadjar to the fourth-fastest time, however.
The Red Bull driver was only a tenth of a second faster than Gabriel Bortoleto in the new Audi. Valtteri Bottas was close behind in the Cadillac two, the pair separated by Pierre Gasly’s Alpine-Mercedes, which suffered another stoppage at turn one.
Aston Martin’s difficult test continued. Fernando Alonso at least managed to complete a significant number of laps in the AMR26 but languished almost four seconds off Leclerc’s pace.
| Pos. | Car number | Driver | Team | Model | Best time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’34.273 | 139 | |
| 2 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | MCL40 | 1’34.784 | 0.511 | 149 |
| 3 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | VF-26 | 1’35.394 | 1.121 | 130 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’35.466 | 1.193 | 54 |
| 5 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | RB22 | 1’36.561 | 2.288 | 87 |
| 6 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’36.670 | 2.397 | 67 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | A526 | 1’36.723 | 2.450 | 97 |
| 8 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1’36.824 | 2.551 | 67 | |
| 9 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | FW48 | 1’37.229 | 2.956 | 62 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’37.266 | 2.993 | 47 |
| 11 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 03 | 1’37.470 | 3.197 | 82 |
| 12 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams | FW48 | 1’37.592 | 3.319 | 69 |
| 13 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 03 | 1’38.017 | 3.744 | 50 |
| 14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | AMR26 | 1’38.248 | 3.975 | 98 |
| 15 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1’38.653 | 4.380 | 42 | |
| 16 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 3 |
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