The seven-time Formula 1 Champion appeared to be in top form right from the start of the session. He quickly rose to the top of the timing screens during his first qualifying simulation, improving his time on his second attempt and maintaining his dominance throughout.
Russell had a strong session for Mercedes, finishing second fastest behind his teammate and ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.
Verstappen, on the other hand, was nearly half a second behind Hamilton in sixth place. It is likely that the reigning F1 Champion was holding back, as his performance was unexpected based on previous testing.
Although Verstappen did not achieve any noteworthy times in the second practice session in Bahrain, his consistent pace during long runs indicates that the RB20 handles its tires well.
This aligns with Red Bull’s performance pattern in 2023 – not the strongest in qualifying, but excelling in race day performance.
With FP2 being the closest representation of qualifying and race conditions, one would hope to gain some insight into the pecking order for 2024.
Mercedes seems to be in a good position, but Verstappen’s sixth place is likely an anomaly. We will have to wait until Friday afternoon, when all the teams will run their cars at full speed with low fuel, to determine the final pecking order.
Carlos Sainz’s fourth place and Oscar Piastri’s fifth place indicate that the top five teams are closely matched in terms of qualifying pace. However, it is prudent to wait for Friday’s session before drawing any conclusions.
Daniel Ricciardo’s top position in FP1 was a surprise, not because it guarantees pole position on Friday, but because it demonstrates the improved performance of the RBs in 2024.
Apart from Red Bull, McLaren, and Sauber, none of the teams used the Soft compound. This strategic decision makes sense, as there would be no advantage to using them in the morning practice session, which has different conditions compared to qualifying and the race, which are more similar to FP2.
The teams appeared to be taking a more cautious approach, focusing on testing various parts and validating their work at the Sakhir Circuit.
Therefore, the second practice session in Bahrain, held under cooler conditions and floodlights, will be the one to watch in order to make predictions.
FP2 began in blustery conditions with track temperatures at 23 degrees Celsius and ambient temperature at 17 degrees. Similar weather is expected for qualifying, but not for the race.
The drivers wasted no time in hitting the track as soon as the pitlane opened, opting for the Soft tyre compound.
Bottas quickly found himself in trouble as he was being investigated for a pitlane violation. He failed to enter the fast lane in the pits and instead stayed on the concrete section.
Meanwhile, on the track, the drivers got down to business, completing fast laps on the Soft tyres. Multiple drivers took turns at the top of the timing screens.
Verstappen took his time before joining the action, waiting almost ten minutes into the session. He also opted for the Soft Pirelli tyres. His first attempt placed him in fourth position on the timing screens.
Norris, on the other hand, was struggling with his MCL38 on track. He reported that it was bottoming out more than before. It’s worth noting that the McLaren had significant bottoming issues in FP1.
It appears that Mercedes is running their W15 car with a low ride height. This was evident as the car scraped the track, producing a shower of sparks.
Leclerc made a mistake in the last corner and expressed concern about the condition of the floor on his SF-24. It seemed to have suffered a significant impact.
After the initial laps, Hamilton topped the timing screens with a time of 1:30.751. This occurred 15 minutes into the session.
Russell was not satisfied with his car, leading to a return to the garage for a front suspension setup change.
Verstappen complained about excessive air entering his helmet, while Norris requested McLaren to provide him with another steering wheel. The British driver appeared to be experimenting with different steering wheel configurations.
After 25 minutes, several drivers switched to new Soft tyres for another qualifying simulation before embarking on long runs with high fuel loads.
The windy conditions made it challenging for the drivers to control their cars, particularly at Turn 4, where they had to fight to keep them pointed in the right direction.
Leclerc soon voiced his frustration about Stroll’s positioning on the track, claiming that “they don’t look in their mirrors,” referring to the Aston Martin driver.
At the halfway point of the session, the track was bustling with drivers completing laps on the Soft tyres.
Sargeant had a messy lap on his second set of Softs, with a wobbly entry into Turn 1 and an off-track excursion at Turn 2.
In the final twenty minutes, the drivers focused on race simulations with high fuel loads, using the Soft tyres initially.
Report in progress…