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2022 Formula 1 Bahrain March testing

Bahrain
Mar 10, 2022 to Mar 12, 2022
Bahrain International Circuit, BH
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Formula 1 Bahrain March testing

F1 Bahrain pre-season test - Day 2

Minute by minute updates on the second day of the 2022 Bahrain F1 pre-season test

Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR22

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The floor is off the Red Bull, with the screens up to cover the garage entrance - lots of work going on in there on Max Verstappen's car
Stopwatch
Sainz goes quicker to set his best time of the day so far with a 1m37.885s
Stopwatch
Quick lap from Sainz there, setting a 1m38.378s on the medium compound tyre to put him up into the top 10
Bit of a lock up for Lance Stroll there going deep into Turn 1
Carlos Sainz has left the garage for his first running of the day - he finished second overall on Wednesday
Stopwatch
Hamilton sets a 1m39.030s in his Mercedes as his first time of the day
Hamilton and Norris have now headed out on track to join Tsunoda, Ocon and Stroll
Stopwatch
Another quick lap from Lance Stroll there - 1m37.524s puts him up into eighth
Lewis Hamilton is just getting comfortable in his Mercedes, so we should see him out on track pretty soon
As Lance Stroll pulls back into the garage, here's what former Aston Martin F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer had to say about his departure:

 
Stopwatch
Stroll puts in his first fast lap to go 10th fastest with a 1m38.888s
Lance Stroll has joined the action!
Tsunoda is still the only car out on track with 16 minutes down of the afternoon session
Tsunoda goes deep at Turn 10, which has proved problematic for a few drivers so far during this test
Strong tail wind at Turn 11, according to AlphaTauri - one to watch out for
Ocon moving very far off line there, kicking up plenty of dust
Tsunoda and Alpine's Esteban Ocon have headed out onto the circuit now, while the others take their time post-lunch
Just one lap for Tsunoda before returning to the garage, leaving the track empty
Green flag
The afternoon session is now underway! Yuki Tsunoda is first out on track for AlphaTauri
Less than five minutes to go until the green light!
News on Bottas' problem which ended the morning session - Alfa Romeo say he had a hydraulic issue
20 minutes to go until the afternoon session starts - here's who'll be driving:

Mercedes: Hamilton 
Red Bull: Verstappen
Ferrari: Sainz 
McLaren: Norris
Alpine: Ocon
AlphaTauri: Tsunoda
Aston Martin: Stroll 
Williams: Latifi
Alfa Romeo: Zhou
Haas: Magnussen
 
Still, it's not all bad Williams fans. Here's Damon Hill talking about his 1996 title-winning FW18 in the latest of our 'Friday favourite' series: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/friday-favourite-the-williams-that-put-hill-in-an-exclusive-f1-club/8894326/
You might have noticed that the latest season of Drive to Survive dropped on Netflix today. During the break, why not listen to Luke Smith and Jess McFadyen review the show as it follows the frenetic 2021 title battle: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/autosport-podcast-drive-to-survive-season-4-review-warning-contains-spoilers/8894193/
“Everyone is looking forward to it and is not scared about going on track with something that is going to be embarrassing. I feel like the team is in a good place.”

We don't have long to wait to see Kevin Magnussen back in an F1 car this afternoon. Jonathan Noble heard from the Dane yesterday and explains what his return means both for him and the squad: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/what-magnussens-homecoming-means-for-him-and-haas/8895126/
The drivers' press conference is currently underway. Fernando Alonso is asked about development of the Alpine, and reckons some positive steps have been taken: "Yeah, we’ve made some progress. The car felt better than Barcelona for sure. We brought some things here, and more to come."
Here's the full report from this morning's running: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/2022-bahrain-f1-test-ocon-tops-second-morning/8896324/
On the mileage front, the happiest team will be Mercedes, as George Russell clocked 67 laps. Ocon managed 59 for Alpine, while Leclerc hit 54 for Ferrari. Vettel (Aston Martin) still mustered 46, one more than Verstappen (Red Bull) and two more than Tsunoda (AlphaTauri). Latifi's 12 laps for Williams made up the lowest total.
Several teams hit problems in the session - most notably Williams, as Nicholas Latifi suffered that dramatic brake fire. Haas had to end its session early due to an exhaust problem, while Aston Martin lost time with a stoppage and Alfa Romeo brought out the final red flag.

Here are your times from the morning session: 

  1. Ocon, Alpine, 1m34.276s, C4
  2. Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m34.366s, C3
  3. Verstappen, Red Bull, 1m35.874s, C2
  4. Vettel, Aston Martin, 1m36.020s, C3
  5. Norris, McLaren, 1m36.354s, C2 proto
  6. Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, 1m36.802s, C3
  7. Bottas, Alfa Romeo, 1m36.987s, C2
  8. Schumacher, Haas, 1m37.846s, C2
  9. Russell, Mercedes, 1m38.585s, C2 proto
  10. Latifi, Williams, 1m39.845s, C2 proto
So there we have it. Fastest in the morning session was Ocon for Alpine - he must like this place, as he scored his first F1 podium in the 2020 Sakhir GP.
The FIA has communicated that the session will not be restarted with only two minutes on the clock when Bottas's Alfa came to its juddering stop.
Red flag
Red flag again, as Bottas has come to a halt in the Turn 8 run-off. Sounded like no gears from the on-board. He climbs out.
Cars are now lining up on the grid to practice standing starts. Vettel is on 'pole', Bottas alongside with Leclerc lining up behind. Just a few more cars needed and we'll almost have enough to stage a re-enactment of the 2005 US GP...
He's joined on track by Leclerc, Verstappen and Bottas - all on hard tyres - plus Russell, who has gone out on a medium.
Green flag
We're back to green flag conditions for the final seven minutes, and unsurprisingly Vettel is straight out of the pits again trying to make up for lost time.

By: autosport.com

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