Carlos Sainz propelled Ferrari to the forefront on the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, setting a new fastest time of the week. The morning session saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets, but it was cut short after Leclerc dislodged a drain cover, leading to a delay in the session's restart.
Sergio Perez of Red Bull, initially set for only the morning session, had his running extended into the afternoon due to issues encountered during the morning stint. In the extended afternoon session, Sainz surged to the top with a blistering lap of 1m29.921s, showcasing Ferrari's pace ahead of the upcoming season.
Lewis Hamilton, making his testing debut for Mercedes, secured the third-fastest time, with McLaren's Lando Norris and former teammate Daniel Ricciardo closely trailing behind.
Despite encountering technical hitches, including brake issues for Perez and gremlins for Norris, both drivers managed to complete over 100 laps each.
The day's proceedings concluded with system checks by race control, setting the stage for the final day of pre-season testing before the Bahrain Grand Prix kicks off the 2024 season.
