Carlos Sainz topped the timesheets on day two of winter testing in Bahrain, beating out Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the afternoon session. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the top five, running about four tenths behind Sainz’s pace in his Williams FW47.
## Afternoon Action Heats Up Despite Rain
Sainz was first out when the afternoon session began, immediately pushing his Williams below the 1:30 mark on medium C3 tires. Even with this impressive start, he was still about four tenths off Hamilton’s morning session pace.
Leclerc followed his former teammate onto the track but quickly reported rain falling at the Bahrain International Circuit. His engineer confirmed the precipitation would last 20-30 minutes.
The Ferrari driver’s first effort put him in 9th, 1.6 seconds behind Hamilton. He soon improved to 5th, cutting the gap to 1.3 seconds.
Activity ramped up as Antonelli took over Mercedes’ W16. The young Italian immediately locked up into turn 1, flatspotting his tires.
Liam Lawson also ventured out in his RB21 after his morning session ended early due to a water leak, according to team boss Christian Horner.
About 30 minutes in, Sainz grabbed the top spot with a 1:29.366 – just 13 thousandths quicker than Hamilton, who’s replacing him at Ferrari this season.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar and Alpine newcomer Jack Doohan added mileage, with Doohan running wide at turn four.
As rain intensified, Haas driver Oliver Bearman radioed his team reporting a “decent amount” of water on track. Alpine brought Doohan in while Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and Ferrari’s Leclerc headed out.
Leclerc improved but couldn’t crack the top three, with Russell’s morning time keeping him at bay. Nearly an hour into the session, Lando Norris and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll were still in their garages without setting times.
## Cold, Wet Conditions Challenge Drivers
Doohan impressed by jumping to 5th, just a second off Sainz’s pace. Most drivers stuck with C3 compound tires, except for Bortoleto.
Antonelli then claimed 5th place, finishing just 0.001 seconds behind Leclerc and 0.006 seconds off teammate Russell. The Italian wasn’t having an easy time though – locking up in turn 10 and running wide at turns 13 and 4. These mistakes were understandable as he worked to find the limits in changing conditions.
At the one-hour mark, Norris finally hit the track, posting times in the 1:32 range.
Leclerc closed in on his teammate with a 1:29.4, just 0.083 seconds off Sainz, who had his own moment spinning at turn 1 when his cold rear tires couldn’t handle the load. The Williams driver recovered safely.
The unusually cool Bahrain temperatures caught out Leclerc too, as he spun coming out of the final turn while preparing for a fast lap.
Both Leclerc and Lawson then returned to the pits, leaving Hadjar and Bortoleto – later joined by Sainz – circulating on the Middle-Eastern track.
Teams shifted focus to accumulating mileage and completing their testing programs for the remainder of the afternoon. Two and a half hours in, Lawson improved to 6th, one second behind Sainz’s benchmark time.
Like Antonelli earlier, Lawson struggled at turn one, locking up and running wide before heading back to the garage. Stroll later moved his AMR25 up to 6th place.
Sauber concentrated on full-fuel long runs with Bortoleto lapping in the 1:35 range as darkness fell over Bahrain. As the session neared its end, Sainz still led from Hamilton and Leclerc.
Norris emerged for a final run on fresh C3 tires, but race control tested neutralization systems – triggering a VSC, safety car, and red flag – bringing the day’s testing to an early conclusion.
