Charles Leclerc fastest with Mercedes off the pace in Bahrain GP in Malaysia FP2
Charles Leclerc sets the pace as Mercedes struggles in second Bahrain Grand Prix practice.
Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets for Ferrari during second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Formula 1’s return to Sepang.
Leclerc edged Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar to the fastest time by just 0.099 seconds in an extremely tight second hour of practice running at the Sepang track, which is making its first appearance on the F1 calendar in nine years.
Hadjar, who was third-fastest in the opening session, has a five-place grid penalty for using too many engine parts. He is one of three drivers set to be hit with grid drops this weekend.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was third-quickest, with the reigning world champion just 0.137s off the leading pace set by Leclerc.
Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: Full Friday practice results
Max Verstappen ended up fourth-fastest and 0.257s adrift but the Red Bull driver, who set the pace in FP1, did not run the soft tyre during his qualifying performance runs.
Lewis Hamilton was over three tenths slower than his Ferrari team-mate and the seven-time world champion also faces a stewards’ investigation for allegedly impending Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto.
Oscar Piastri was sixth-fastest in the second McLaren, ahead of George Russell and championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Both were half a second off the pace despite running in Mercedes’ heavily-upgraded W17.
Liam Lawson was ninth for Racing Bulls as Pierre Gasly competed the top-10 order in his Alpine.
Bortoleto stopped late in FP2 with a suspected gearbox issue in his Audi as the forecast rain failed to hit the circuit.
The race is being held in Malaysia on behalf of Bahrain due to the war in the Middle East, which forced both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix to be cancelled at the beginning of the year.
Following an agreement between F1, the FIA, and the governments of both Malaysia and Bahrain, a solution was found for the Bahrain Grand Prix to be staged at Sepang.
Bahrain has helped fund the event which features Bahraini-related activities, while the country’s national airline Gulf Air is the official sponsor. The Bahrain Grand Prix trophy will be presented and rosewater will be sprayed on the podium after Sunday’s race instead of champagne.
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