Charles Leclerc asserted his dominance in the second practice session (FP2) for the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix held at Sepang Circuit, Malaysia. The Ferrari driver set the fastest time of 1m37.528s, edging out Red Bull's Isack Hadjar by a mere 0.099s. The session remained dry despite a 90% chance of rain predicted, and it showcased the raw pace of the top teams.
Leclerc's time was over six seconds slower than the FP2-topping time from the last F1 race in Malaysia in 2017, and eight hundredths slower than Max Verstappen's FP1 benchmark. This highlights the different track conditions and regulations, yet it remains a crucial reference point for performance.
Isack Hadjar, returning after missing three race weekends with a wrist injury, impressed with second place. However, he and teammate Verstappen voiced concerns about the Red Bull's balance. Hadjar described his RB22 as "bouncing like crazy" with oscillations on the brakes that made committing to corner entries difficult, while Verstappen said the rear end was "jumping like crazy". These complaints are vital for Red Bull to address before qualifying.
Verstappen had to settle for fourth, but set his fastest time on medium tyres, having used two sets of softs in FP1. Meanwhile, McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished sixth and third respectively. Lewis Hamilton completed the top five, 0.305s adrift of Leclerc. Hamilton will face stewards after the session for allegedly impeding Gabriel Bortoleto at Turn 9.
On the other side, Mercedes with their upgrade package had to be content with seventh and eighth through George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Neither could get a clean lap on soft tyres: Russell ran wide at the final corner and bailed for the pits, while Antonelli was compromised by a slower car. Consequently, their best times came on mediums, around half a second slower than Leclerc. This leaves Mercedes with work to do to maximize their new car's potential.
Another incident occurred when Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a mechanical failure and stopped at Turn 8, triggering a virtual safety car (VSC) at the end of the session. The top ten was completed by Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine). Meanwhile, rookies like Arvid Lindblad and Ollie Bearman showed promising performances outside the top ten.
With this result, the battle at the Bahrain Grand Prix Malaysia is heating up. Leclerc and Ferrari emerge as the main threat, but Red Bull and McLaren are not far behind. Qualifying will determine who is truly ready to snatch pole position. Don't miss the exciting action at Sepang, only on Sportrik Media.
Baca Juga
George Russell beri penilaian awal upgrade Mercedes di F1 Bahrain. Meski merasakan downforce, degradasi ban jadi kendala. Simak analisis lengkapnya.
Flavio Briatore tutup insiden Baku dan alihkan fokus Alpine ke GP Bahrain. Colapinto sudah minta maaf, tapi Briatore masih pertanyakan penalti untuk Lindblad.
Max Verstappen menjelaskan strategi ban tak biasa di latihan bebas Bahrain. Ia hanya pakai ban medium di FP2 untuk antisipasi hujan dan long run.
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