The second day of F1 pre-season testing for the 2025 season kicks off at Bahrain International Circuit under cool and overcast skies with a slight drizzle in the air.
Most driver line-ups remain the same, with only Mercedes, Alpine, and Haas making changes since yesterday’s morning session of pre-season testing.
Red Bull and Williams will keep their drivers, with Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz continuing to drive throughout the afternoon session.
Nico Hulkenberg and George Russell are the first to leave the pit at green light for hour one of F1 pre-season testing.
Hour 1
As the first drivers out, Russell and Hulkenberg are the first to set a time on the board, with Russell clocking the quickest at 1:33.882.
At first, Hulkenberg’s Sauber’s rear wing draws attention in the opening minutes as it flaps heavily with DRS open.
Red Bull’s Liam Lawson has a brief encounter with Carlos Sainz’s Williams as they exit the pit lane for their first runs on day 2 of pre-season testing.
As we reach the thirty-minute mark in the session, Gasly, Piastri, and Sainz have yet to set a time, having already completed some installation laps.
Russell has impressively notched up the most laps—21—in the first hour of testing! His quickest time is just three-tenths shy of the benchmark of 1:30.080, set by Lewis Hamilton.
As the hour draws to a close, Carlos Sainz records a time that places him just a tenth behind Hamilton’s best time.
Top 3 after hour one: Hamilton, Sainz and Russell.
Hour 2
Russell has a little moment running off track at Turns 2 and 3. Aside from picking up some gravel and dirt on his tyres, he suffered no significant damage.
Another near miss during this second hour of F1 pre-season testing comes from Carlos Sainz, who reacts quickly to prevent his Williams from spinning.
A possible culprit for the excursion could be the worsening weather conditions, with Lewis Hamilton reporting that rain is intensifying.
While the rain hits the track, the drivers retreat to the pit lane.
Haas and Aston Martin are the only teams with intermediate tyres. Thus, Haas’s Esteban Ocon is the only car to head out on rubber suited for these conditions.
With barely any running in hour two, the top 3 of Hamilton, Sainz, and Russell remain the same.
Hour 3
Halfway through the morning session of pre-season testing, the rain stopped. However, with the track damp, the rubber on the tarmac is washed away, resulting in a green track.
Mercedes’ George Russell is the first driver to venture out on track on slick tyres. Nico Hulkenberg joins the Briton in the Sauber.
McLarens’ Oscar Piastri, who has barely done any running so far, sets his first time a 1: 35.036 of the day.
After a few cautious laps, the track gets busier, with nearly all the cars out to continue their run plans.
In the closing stages of hour 3, Russell set the fastest time of the session only to be beaten by Hamilton a few seconds later.
The former Mercedes teammates are now the only drivers to have set a time below 1:30.
Hamilton slightly improves his time, cementing his position at the top of the timing sheets as we head into the last hour of the morning session.
The top 3 after hour three of F1 pre-season testing are Hamilton, Russell and Sainz.
Hour 4
George Russell had a busy morning, navigating through rain and being the first driver of the day to complete 50 laps in his Mercedes.
Hamilton continues to improve on his benchmark. The 40-year-old set a time of 1:29.379, half a second faster than the time set by Russell in P2.
With only half an hour left in the morning session of pre-season testing, Piastri and Hulkenberg make contact.
The Sauber led into Turn 8, but McLaren attempted to overtake Hulkenberg on the inside. As the German turned in, Piastri couldn’t brake in time and made contact with the back of Hulkenberg’s car.
Haas is at the bottom of the timing sheets during this test as they concentrate on long runs.
Liam Lawson managed only 28 laps. With the barriers positioned in front of the garage, it’s reasonable to conclude that he won’t be going out again this morning.
As this morning’s session ends, eight drivers conclude their runs for today, as F1 hits the halfway point of pre-season testing.
Day 2 Pre-Season testing morning results
The morning session of pre-season closed with Lewis Hamilton in the lead ahead of George Russell and Carlos Sainz.
Gasly, Alonso, Tsunoda, Piastri, Lawson, Hulkenberg, and Ocon complete the Top 10.
Russell (71), Ocon (69) and Hulkenberg (56 ) put the most laps on board during the morning session.
Tune in in an hour for even more 2025 F1 pre-season testing!
