Carlos Sainz delivered a commanding performance on the second day of pre-season testing on Thursday at the Bahrain International Circuit, propelling Williams to the top of the timesheets.
The Spaniard clocked an impressive 1’29.348 shortly after the lunch break, marking the quickest lap of the week so far.
Sainz’s standout effort underscored his seamless transition to Williams, logging an astonishing 127 laps – the highest of any driver – after spending the entire day solo in the cockpit.
However, the former Ferrari driver was closely trailed by the Scuderia, with Lewis Hamilton ending the day just 0.031s behind Sainz, while Charles Leclerc also upheld the Italian outfit’s strength as the third fastest driver, 0.083s adrift from the day’s pacesetter.
Mercedes also showed strong form, with George Russell edging out rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli by a mere six-thousandths of a second to secure fifth place, demonstrating the Silver Arrows’ competitive edge.
However, not all teams enjoyed smooth sailing. Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, the other driver running solo for the day, fell short of the 100-lap mark, sidelined in the garage late in the morning with a suspected power unit issue, a setback that curtailed his mileage.
McLaren Prioritizes Long runs
Meanwhile, McLaren’s pace-setters from Day 1, Lando Norris, slipped down the order to P14, one spot behind his teammate Oscar Piastri, as the papaya pair prioritized longer runs over outright pace.
Norris tantalized fans with blistering sector times – including the fastest middle sector – but opted not to complete his laps, suggesting strategic sandbagging. Yet they finished ahead of only Sauber and Haas.
Haas, with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, again occupied the bottom spots, focusing on high-fuel endurance runs rather than flashy lap times, a pragmatic approach on Day 2.
As testing nears its climax, the pecking order remains fluid, setting the stage for an intriguing final day.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Best Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Williams | 1’29.348 | 127 | |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1’29.379 | 0.031 | 45 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’29.431 | 0.083 | 83 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1’29.778 | 0.430 | 71 |
| 5 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1’29.784 | 0.436 | 87 |
| 6 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1’30.229 | 0.881 | 57 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | 1’30.252 | 0.904 | 91 |
| 8 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | 1’30.368 | 1.020 | 80 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1’30.430 | 1.082 | 40 |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1’30.675 | 1.327 | 94 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1’30.700 | 1.352 | 45 |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1’30.793 | 1.445 | 46 |
| 13 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1’30.821 | 1.473 | 44 |
| 14 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1’30.882 | 1.534 | 77 |
| 15 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1’31.067 | 1.719 | 80 |
| 16 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | 1’31.457 | 2.109 | 56 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1’33.071 | 3.723 | 69 |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1’34.372 | 5.024 | 66 |
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