Sainz Edges Hamilton in Rain-Affected F1 Testing Session at Bahrain
Racing in damp conditions on the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, Carlos Sainz led the timesheet for Williams with a 1m29.348s lap, narrowly outpacing Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
The session was marked by intermittent rain, which significantly impacted the morning running. Only Sainz and Red Bull's Liam Lawson completed full-day programs, with Sainz accumulating 127 laps despite a Turn 1 spin in the afternoon.
Blue IndyCar at racetrack
Notable performances included:
- Hamilton finished second, just 0.031s behind Sainz
- Leclerc placed third, 0.083s off the pace
- Mercedes duo Russell and Antonelli completed the top five
- All fastest laps were set on C3 compound tires, except for Hadjar who used C4s
The wet conditions exposed a strategic oversight, as only Haas and Aston Martin had selected wet-weather tires during December's mandatory tire selection. Other teams were caught unprepared for the unexpected rain in Bahrain.
McLaren showed promising balance despite lower positioning, with Norris aborting a potentially fastest lap to focus on pit stop practice. Red Bull encountered challenges with engine water pressure issues, limiting Lawson's running.
F1 Testing Day 2 Results Table
Notably, Williams' performance showed significant improvement, with Sainz's time being 1.6 seconds faster than their 2024 pre-season testing pace, while Ferrari demonstrated a 0.6-second improvement over their previous year's times.
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