As the 2025 Formula 1 season approaches, teams continued their pre-season preparations at the Bahrain International Circuit. At the end of the second day of testing, the fastest driver was Carlos Sainz of Williams, while Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc secured the second and third spots, respectively, showcasing their strong form.
Early Session Developments
The day kicked off with Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar being the first driver to hit the track as the green lights went on. He was soon followed by Williams driver Carlos Sainz, who had also been actively running laps in the morning session.
Lewis Hamilton initially set the benchmark, but Sainz later clocked a lap just 0.031 seconds faster to take the top spot. One notable observation from the early session was McLaren’s Lando Norris staying in the garage for nearly an hour before finally joining the track and completing a full race simulation.
Spins and Off-Track Excursions
The second day of testing was far from incident-free. Several drivers found themselves running wide, and some even spun on the track. Both Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and his former teammate Carlos Sainz lost control at different moments, spinning their cars. Meanwhile, Alpine’s Jack Doohan locked up under braking and briefly ran off the track but managed to recover without damage.
Carlos Sainz Tops the Charts
After four hours of running, Carlos Sainz emerged as the fastest driver of the day with a 1:29.348 lap time. Lewis Hamilton, who had led the morning session, finished just 0.031 seconds behind in second place. His teammate Charles Leclerc secured third, reinforcing Ferrari's strong pre-season performance.
Mercedes also had a consistent day, with George Russell finishing fourth and young talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli placing fifth. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll took sixth, followed by Red Bull’s reserve driver Liam Lawson in seventh. Rounding out the top 10 were Alpine drivers Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly, along with Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar.
2025 Bahrain Testing - Day 2 Results
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:29.348 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:29.379 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:29.431 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29.778 |
| 5 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:29.784 |
| 6 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:30.229 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | 1:30.252 |
| 8 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | 1:30.368 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:30.430 |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:30.675 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:30.700 |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1:30.793 |
| 13 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:30.821 |
| 14 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:30.882 |
| 15 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1:31.057 |
| 16 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 1:31.457 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:33.071 |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:34.372 |
With just one day of testing left, Ferrari and Williams appear to be setting a strong pace ahead of the season opener. Teams will continue pushing their limits to fine-tune their setups before the first race of the year.