F1 Bahrain Test Day 2: Hamilton Steals the Show with Morning Speed as Rain Delays Action

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On the second morning of Formula 1’s pre-season test in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton topped the charts. Despite some rain disrupting the session, he managed to set a time of 1:29.670, becoming the first driver to break into the 1m29s bracket.

Weather conditions improved enough for Hamilton to better his earlier time of 1:30.080. He then clocked a fast lap of 1:29.379 just before a heavy downpour hit the track.

At the start of the morning, teams were eager to gather aeros data. They used various tools before moving on to setting competitive lap times. However, the rain caused nearly an hour of inactivity on the track. Drivers, including Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz, struggled with oversteer at Turn 11 during the early drizzle.

Aston Martin and Haas were the only teams prepared with intermediate tires. When rain intensified, most teams remained in the garage. Haas’s Esteban Ocon took the chance to test his car on the wet track.

Once conditions improved, George Russell joined the track on slick tires. Although he and Nico Hülkenberg faced some slides, Russell came close to Hamilton with a time of 1:29.879.

Carlos Sainz focused on long runs and got up to third place with a lap of 1:30.090. However, rain interrupted his plans for a longer stint. Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Alonso initially used C1 tires before switching to mediums once the rain passed.

After a slow start, Yuki Tsunoda improved his performance in the final part of the session, nearly matching Alonso’s time. Piastri ended the morning in seventh after struggling at the beginning and encountering rain at Turn 11.

Liam Lawson’s session was cut short due to a water pressure issue, limiting his laps compared to Russell’s 71. Hülkenberg and Ocon rounded out the standings.

Bahrain F1 Test – Day 2 Morning Times

#	Driver	Team	Time
1	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:29.379
2	George Russell	Mercedes	1:29.778
3	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:30.090
4	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:30.430
5	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:30.700
6	Yuki Tsunoda	Racing Bulls	1:30.793
7	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:30.821
8	Liam Lawson	Red Bull	1:31.233
9	Nico Hülkenberg	Sauber	1:31.457
10	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:33.071