Red Bull’s Max Verstappen edged out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in second practice at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was third with Mercedes driver George Russell fourth, but 0.5sec off the pace.
Lewis Hamilton could only achieve the ninth fastest time in his Mercedes.
Verstappen was 0.084sec quicker than Leclerc as Red Bull and Ferrari looked to establish themselves as the teams to beat.
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Fernando Alonso was fifth for Alpine, but nearly a second off the pace, and ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, Haas’s Mick Schumacher, Hamilton and Kevin Magnussen’s second Haas.
McLaren driver Lando Norris was 11th fastest, his teammate Daniel Ricciardo 18th after suffering a water leak.
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Red Bull and Ferrari also appeared to be close behind when the teams simulated race fuel loads later in the session, with Verstappen and Leclerc lapping at a similar pace, albeit on a very small sample of laps.
The evidence of the day seemed to confirm that Mercedes has been telling the truth in saying they are struggling to keep up the pace at the start of this season, in which Formula 1 has introduced the biggest regulation change in 40 years in a bid to close the countryside. and make racing more competitive.
The Mercedes car did not seem comfortable to drive. Drivers were suffering from “porpoises” on the straight, a consequence of an aerodynamic phenomenon these cars are prone to in which the level of downforce alternates at high speed, causing the car to bounce.
Hamilton was also complaining of problems with his front brakes and his DRS overtaking aid.
Russell’s lap suggests Mercedes have the potential to be the third fastest team, but they appear to have a significant margin behind Red Bull and Ferrari, although a definitive picture won’t be seen until after Friday’s qualifying.
more to follow
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