The seven-time Formula 1 champion seemed to be in top form from the beginning of the session. He quickly rose to the top of the time screens during his first qualifying simulation, improving his time on the second attempt and maintaining his dominance throughout the session.
Russell had a strong session for Mercedes, finishing in second place 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 current F1 champion was holding back, as his performance was unexpected based on previous tests.
Although Verstappen did not achieve notable times in the second free 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, some information about the qualifying order for 2024 is expected to be obtained.
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 teams will run their cars at full speed and with low fuel, to determine the final qualifying order.
Carlos Sainz’s fourth place and Oscar Piastri’s fifth place indicate that the top five teams are very close in terms of qualifying pace. However, it is prudent to wait for the Friday session before drawing any conclusions.
Daniel Ricciardo’s prominent 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.
Aside 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 in 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 seemed to be taking a more cautious approach, focusing on testing various parts and validating their work at the Sakhir Circuit.
Therefore, the second free practice session in Bahrain, held in cooler conditions and with floodlights, will be the one to watch for predictions.
FP2 started in windy conditions, with track temperature at 23 degrees Celsius and ambient temperature at 17 degrees. Similar weather is predicted for qualifying, but not for the race.
The drivers wasted no time in getting on track as soon as the pit lane exit was opened, opting for the soft tire compound.
Bottas soon found himself in trouble when he was investigated for a pit lane exit violation. He failed to enter the fast lane in the pit lane and remained in the concrete section.
Meanwhile, on the track, the drivers focused on completing fast laps on soft tires. Several drivers took turns at the top of the time screens.
Verstappen took a while before getting into action, waiting for almost ten minutes in the session. He also opted for the soft Pirelli tires. His first attempt put him in fourth position on the time screens.
Norris, on the other hand, was struggling with his MCL38 on the track. He reported that he was hitting the bottom more than before. It is worth noting that McLaren had significant issues with the bottom in FP1.
It appears that Mercedes is running their W15 car with a low ride height. This became evident when the car scraped the track, producing a shower of sparks.
Leclerc made a mistake in the final corner and expressed concern about the condition of his SF-24’s floor. It seemed to have suffered a significant impact.
After the initial laps, Hamilton led the time 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 pits for a change in front suspension setup.
Verstappen complained of excessive air entering his helmet, while Norris requested McLaren to provide him with another steering wheel. The British driver seemed to be experimenting with different steering wheel configurations.
After 25 minutes, several drivers switched to new soft tires 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, especially at Turn 4, where they had to struggle to keep them pointed in the right direction.
Leclerc soon expressed his frustration with Stroll’s position on the track, stating that “they don’t look in the mirrors,” referring to the Aston Martin driver.
At the halfway point of the session, the track was busy with drivers completing laps on soft tires.
Sargeant had a messy lap on his second set of soft tires, with an unstable entry into Turn 1 and an excursion off the track at Turn 2.
In the final twenty minutes, the drivers focused on high-fuel, race simulations, initially using the soft tires.
Report in progress…
© 2024
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