Kevin Magnussen set the fastest time on the second day of the Bahrain pre-season test. Magnussen set the time after the chequered flag as the Haas F1 team had an extended session after they lost the morning session on the first day.
Magnussen returned to Formula 1 as a late replacement for the axed Nikita Mazepin. The Dane took over testing duties in the afternoon session from Mick Schumacher who finished in twelfth position.
Carlos Sainz went fastest during the regular session on the second day of the final pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir in Bahrain. The Spaniard finished ahead of Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.
Magnussen with a lap time of 1m33.207s was 0.325 seconds quicker than Sainz. The time was set in the extended hour of testing for the Haas F1 team. The team will start the final day of testing two hours early and test for an extra hour at the end of the day to make up for the four hours they lost on the opening day due to a freight delay.
The day was disrupted with a number of red flags. Esteban Ocon set the fastest time in the morning session which was good for sixth overall on the time charts.
Ocon brought out the red flag in the afternoon session as he stopped out on the track. The Frenchman returned to the track and completed 111 laps on a good day of testing for the Alpine F1 team.
Lewis Hamilton took over testing duties in the afternoon and finished in fifth position as he completed 47 laps. George Russell finished in thirteenth position overall with 67 laps in the morning session.
The Mercedes W13 suffered many oversteer moments and was visibly porpoising down the straights. The reigning constructors’ champion has a lot of work to do ahead of the opening race next weekend.
Charles Leclerc drove in the morning session and finished seventh overall as he combined to complete 114 laps with Sainz. The Scuderia Ferrari team continued their strong testing form and look set to challenge the top teams.
Daniel Ricciardo has tested positive for Covid19 and will sit out the three days of testing in Bahrain. The Australian will be able to resume his duties for the McLaren F1 team at the first race of the season.
Lando Norris was at the wheel of the MCL36 for the second day in a row. Norris finished in eighth position with 60 laps as the McLaren team wrestled with brake issues.
Sebastian Vettel drove in the morning session and finished in ninth position. Vettel combined with Stroll for a combined 116 laps for the Aston Martin Racing team. Stroll was consistently in the top five positions on the time charts in the afternoon session.
Yuki Tsunoda was tenth overall as he recorded 120 laps for the Scuderia AlphaTauri team. Team-mate Pierre Gasly topped the first day of testing.
Valtteri Bottas had a truncated morning session with 25 laps due to a hydraulics issue and finished in eleventh position. For a second day in a row, rookie team-mate Guanya Zhou finished at the bottom of the timecharts for the Alfa Romeo Racing team.
Nicholas Latifi completed twelve laps to finish in fourteenth position. Latifi’s Williams FW44 caught fire which damaged the rear suspension and severely disrupted the testing program of the Williams F1 team.
Ferrari and the Red Bull Racing team have shown good reliability and performance in the five days of testing. The teams will bring a final set of updates on the final day of testing before the opening race of the season.
Credit: Formula1.com