Day two of the Formula 1 test drives in Bahrain – and lots of questions: Will Red Bull put on the next show? Is the competition getting closer? Can Mercedes complete its program today after problems at the start and how is Lewis Hamilton, who is taking part in the action for the first time today, getting along with the W15? sport.de follows the entire test day in detail in the live blog.
+++ Perez still in the box +++
Today the cops didn’t come out of it as well as yesterday. Sergio Perez has been in the garage since his brakes briefly burned out and has only completed three laps. Leader Leclerc already has eleven laps under his belt.
+++ Haas has a big goal +++
Nico Hülkenberg takes his course. Yesterday the Haas drivers mainly completed long runs. The US team had serious problems here last year. Because while the car was certainly fast on one lap, it turned out to be a tire-eating monster in the endurance run. Haas wants to eliminate this basic problem with the VF-24.
+++ Leclerc presses the brush +++
Charles Leclerc sets a first example and sets the best time to 1:31.822 minutes. The Monegasse (like almost all drivers) put on medium tires. Leclerc is now seven tenths faster than his teammate Carlos Sainz yesterday afternoon. Around half a second is still missing from Verstappen’s time on Wednesday.
+++ Small fire at Red Bull +++
The colleagues from “auto motor und sport” report a brief fire on the Red Bull’s right front brake. It smells “slightly charred”. The mechanics quickly extinguished the fire, but Perez now has to wait a while before he can start again.
+++ The first times +++
The times in the first quarter of an hour are not very meaningful: Williams man Logan Sargeant leads the classification for the time being with 1:33.561 minutes ahead of Leclerc in the Ferrari and Mercedes star Hamilton. That’s still more than two seconds away from Verstappen’s best time from yesterday. In fact, only six drivers have set a time. In many garages, mechanics work intently on the cars. On the W15 from Mercedes, for example, the front wheel suspension and the engine cover are screwed on.
+++ Horner also on the track today +++
Sergio Perez talks to Christian Horner in the pits about his first impression of the RB20. Everything seems relaxed, but in the background there is something simmering at Red Bull. As is well known, the team boss is being investigated internally – because of inappropriate behavior towards an employee.
+++ Tinker, tinker, tinker +++
We’re seeing a lot of aerodynamic grilles on the cars again. The teams want to collect data and measure even the smallest air flow and draw their conclusions. Some cars are also painted: with FloViz paint. The bright green and black Sauber is almost unnoticeable in this respect.
+++ Here we go +++
The traffic light has turned green and the first drivers are setting off, including veteran Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin and Sergio Perez in the Red Bull, who is doing his first laps in the RB20 today.
If you want to watch the test drives live – all information about streams etc. can be found here
+++ Hamilton’s last tests in silver +++
Lewis Hamilton is officially ringing in his farewell season at Mercedes today. In 2025, the record champion will move to Ferrari. In Bahrain this morning he arrived in the paddock in his usual fashion-conscious manner.
+++ These drivers are sitting in the cockpit today +++
Lewis Hamilton had the day off yesterday and is taking part in the action for the first time today. Most teams today rely on division of labor, only George Russell and Alex Albon can step on the accelerator today.
- Red Bull: Sergio Perez/Max Verstappen
- Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton
- Ferrari: Charles Leclerc/Carlos Sainz
- McLaren: Oscar Piastri/Lando Norris
- Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso/Lance Stroll
- Alpine: Pierre Gasly/Esteban Ocon
- Williams: Logan Sargeant
- Racing Bulls: Yuki Tsunoda/Daniel Ricciardo
- Clean: Guanyu Zhou/Valtteri Bottas
- Haas: Nico Hulkenberg/Kevin Magnussen
+++ Another eight hours on the program today +++
Like yesterday, today we drive in two four-hour blocks. It starts at 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. After a lunch break, things get back to business from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
+++ Verstappen is the measure of things at the start +++
A quick review of day 1. World champion Max Verstappen outclassed the competition in the new Red Bull and was more than a second faster than McLaren and Ferrari. The Dutchman was also hard-working and went about his business without any problems.
There were problems at Mercedes – the W15 had to stay in the garage for a long time, George Russell ended up only twelfth. Things weren’t going well for Williams either. Nico Hülkenberg and Haas held the red lantern, but also focused on long runs.
The best times from the first day to click through