The second day of the Formula 1 pre-season test was damp. There had been overnight rain, and the circuit was anything but dry. Wet patches and light showers were not enough to bring out the wets.
Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli topped the charts on the first day of the testing. The story was different for the second day. Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz drove the whole day, which keeps them out of the car for the last day.
Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris Top the Charts for the First Day of Formula 1 Pre-Season Testing
Aston Martin and Haas were the only two teams to bring any wets for the second day.
Lewis Hamilton takes top spot for Ferrari during the morning session
Lewis Hamilton brought out his Ferrari for the second consecutive morning. The British driver ran C3 Pirelli Tyres on his car and was the only driver sub 1:30 in the morning session with a 1:29.379.
George Russell followed up his ex-teammate, being behind in P2 by 0.399s. The Mercedes driver also ran the most laps in the afternoon session with 70, followed by Ocon’s 69 laps. Carlos Sainz followed the ex-Mercedes teammates, putting his Williams 0.711s behind Russell.
Formula 1 Testing Day 2
Morning Session✅
Afternoon Session ✅The Smooth Operator ends day 2 on top with 127 laps completed!#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/Mi8a0EKjKp
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) February 27, 2025
Pierre Gasly followed Sainz, putting his Alpine on P4 trailing by 1.051s behind. Fernando Alonso completed the top 5 with his Aston setting a time of 1:30.700. Yuki Tsunoda, Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon made up the rest of the top 10.
Carlos Sainz topples Hamilton’s score during the afternoon session
Carlos Sainz had no plans of slowing down and jumped back into the Williams for the afternoon session as well. While he was followed by Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
Sainz suffered a spin after going fastest for the session, bringing out a red flag. Leclerc followed with a spin right after as the track got drizzled by rain. However, Sainz stayed on top of the board with his 1:29.348, just above 0.031s above Hamilton.
🏁 | Let’s have a quick peek at how teams have used their time so far!
Mercedes has the most laps on the board but Carlos Sainz put down some serious mileage today!#F1Testing #F1 pic.twitter.com/pZZGCpEXrC
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) February 27, 2025
Sainz’s ex-teammate Leclerc slotted into the third position with a 1:29.431 as he branded the first day of testing as a “positive” for Ferrari.
Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli made up the top 5 with 1:29.778 and 1:29.784 respectively.
Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Jack Doohan, Pierre Gasly, and Isack Hadjar made the rest of the top 10 with the McLaren boys down in P13 and P14.
Carlos Sainz put in the most laps on the second day, running 127 laps in his Williams, followed by Isack Hadjar with 94.
What to expect for the final day of pre-season testing?
Alex Albon and Max Verstappen will be driving for the full day tomorrow as their teammates did for the second day.
The teams didn’t have to shift to wets for the second day, however, the weather forecast mentions more rain coming to Bahrain, so we might be able to see some cars on wets.
