Williams’ Carlos Sainz was fastest from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in an intriguing second day of F1 pre-season testing, where Lando Norris sneakily showed McLaren’s real pace.
Sainz pipped Hamilton by 0.031s as Williams continued to impress, with Charles Leclerc getting both Ferraris in the top three in third where he was less than one tenth behind.
Hamilton’s lap time was set in the morning when conditions were slower, so the seven-time world champion is getting up to speed nicely at his new team and was visibly more comfortable in the car.
“It’s been a really good couple of days. The weather got in the way a little bit today but nevertheless we got through a lot of the programme,” he said.
“We are just focusing on exploring and, for me, getting integrated into the team as much as possible. It might seem like it’s been a long time but it’s only been a month with the team, so we have crammed in a lot in a short space of time. And the car feels good on track.”
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‘Extraordinary’ Norris shows McLaren’s true pace
Intermittent rain throughout the day caused some sketchy moments for the drivers at the Bahrain International Circuit but once it fully cleared for the last two hours, Norris shined on the long runs.
While Norris was only 14th on the Day Two leaderboard, he completed a race simulation in the afternoon which caught the attention of those watching the timing screens.
Leclerc and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli also conducted full race simulations and both drivers were around one second per lap slower in the final stint compared to Norris, suggesting McLaren’s long-run pace and tyre wear is stronger than their rivals.
Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg made contact coming into turn eight during the morning session of day two Testing
“Norris did a 20-lap first stint, 18-lap second stint and 20-lap third stint and he’s boxed so he’s done a full race distance. He was down into the 1:32s for a lot of that final stint,” said Sky Sports F1‘s Karun Chandhok.
“Leclerc did a similar first two stints and is in the 1:33s and now the 1:34s compared to Norris in the 1:32s on a similar stint length. Antonelli is in the high 1:33s on his last stint. Norris is the outlier. It’s extraordinarily fast on his final stint.”
Red Bull gave Liam Lawson a full day in the car but he only completed 89 laps over eight hours due to a water pressure failure in the morning and the team needing to “service” the RB21 during the afternoon.
More to follow…
Bahrain Test Timesheet – Day Two timesheet
1) Carlos Sainz, Williams, 1:29.348, 127 laps*
2) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, 1:29.379, 45 laps
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 1:29.431, 83 laps
4) George Russell, Mercedes, 1:29.778, 71 laps
5) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, 1:29.784, 87 laps
6) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, 1:30.229, 57 laps
7) Liam Lawson, Red Bull, 1:30.252, 91 laps*
8) Jack Doohan, Alpine, 1:30.368, 80 laps
9) Pierre Gasly, Alpine, 1:30.430, 40 laps
10) Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls, 1:30.675, 94 laps
11) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, 1:30.700, 45 laps
12) Yuki Tsunoda, Racing Bulls, 1:30.793, 46 laps
13) Oscar Piastri, McLaren, 1:30.821, 44 laps
14) Lando Norris, McLaren, 1:30.882, 77 laps
15) Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber, 1:31.057, 80 laps
16) Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:31.457, 56 laps
17) Esteban Ocon, Haas, 1:33.071, 69 laps
18) Oliver Bearman, Haas, 1:34.372, 66 laps
*Denotes drivers participated in both Thursday sessions
Sky Sports F1’s live pre-season testing schedule
Thursday February 27 – Day Two
- 8pm: Testing Wrap
- 8.30pm: Ted’s Testing Notebook
Friday February 28 – Day Three
- 6.50am-11.05am: Morning Session
- 11.55am-4.05pm: Afternoon Session
- 8pm: Testing Wrap
- 8.30pm: Ted’s Testing Notebook
- 9pm: Ted’s Development Corner
When is the first F1 race?
For the first time since 2019, the season-opener will be held in Melbourne at the Australian Grand Prix on March 14-16. The first race has switched from Bahrain to Australia due to Ramadan taking place throughout March.
There are 24 events on the 2025 F1 calendar, the same number as last year, with the season ending at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 5-7.
Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
