Bahrain F1 test: Leclerc tops second morning as Red Bull, Mercedes hit trouble

Charles Leclerc topped the second morning of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain as both Mercedes and Red Bull hit problems and failed to complete significant running.

Ferrari driver Leclerc enjoyed a solid day of work, covering well over a grand prix distance and finishing at the head of the times with the fastest lap of the test so far, a 1min 34.273sec.

The Monegasque outpaced yesterday’s pace-setter Lando Norris, who was the busiest man on track today with 64 laps completed.

Norris’s session came to an early end, however, as he had to get out of his car after parking it at the end of the pitlane.

Behind Norris, Alpine ‘s Pierre Gasly was third quickest, albeit over two seconds off the pace.

The Frenchman, like the two rivals ahead of him, also completed a grand prix distance.

After an impressive session on Wednesday when Max Verstappen covered over 130 laps on his own, Red Bull had a miserable start to Thursday, as Isack Hadjar was stuck in the garage all morning.

The team had its garage door closed as it worked on the issues, as the French driver failed to complete a single lap until the final minute, when he was finally sent out.

Mercedes hit trouble for the second day in a row, and Kimi Antonelli‘s running was limited to just three laps.

The German squad was forced to replace the entire power unit, the Italian driver not setting a timed lap.

Cadillac was another team to have problems as Sergio Perez triggered a red flag early on when he stopped on track.

The Mexican, however, managed to return to action later on and enjoyed a productive session with over 40 laps covered.

Bahrain F1 test – Day 2 morning times