Ferrari duo on top in Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix FP2 after Red Bull’s Ricciardo leads FP1
Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkonen led the second free practice session of the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix with a time of 1min 29.817sec, 0.011sec ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, behind Valtteri Bottas.
Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel led the second practice session initially, with Räikkönen first to dip below the 1min30 mark on supersofts before Vettel closely followed suit.
The Finn then stopped with a loose wheel with around 15 minutes of FP2 remaining, ending a solid evening for him before he could use the soft tyre. Ferrari was consequently investigated for an unsafe release from the pits.
In third and fourth was the Mercedes pair, led by Bottas, while Red Bull filed in at fifth and sixth with Max Verstappen in front, the top six separated by 0.934sec.
Nico Hülkenberg just edged Pierre Gasly for seventh, with McLaren duo Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne rounding out the top 10. Those four were split by just 0.202sec in a close midfield showing.
Romain Grosjean, fresh from a strong FP1 showing, finished 11th ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso is hoping that it will benefit from a new MGUh courtesy of engine supplier Honda this weekend, though Brendon Hartley finished 20th in the evening session.
Williams rookie Sergey Sirotkin spun early on and ended up a tenth behind team-mate Lance Stroll, nearly three seconds off Räikkönen’s leading pace.
FP2 ended with a safety car restart test, with teams nominating a driver each to participate.
The first free practice session ended unceremoniously for Verstappen, whose RB14 ground to a halt after six minutes due to a suspected turbo issue. All eyes were on the Red Bull driver as he pushed his car back to the pits.
Ricciardo, on the other hand, set the fastest time of the session on soft tyres with 20 minutes remaining. His time of 1min 31.060sec was three tenths faster than runner-up Bottas, while Räikkönen, who led the session early on, was third with a time of 1min 31.458sec.
Ferrari team-mate Vettel was 0.012sec back in fourth, but nearly eight tenths faster than fifth place Lewis Hamilton.
Haas’ Grosjean took sixth ahead of Gasly. Renault driver Sainz (eighth), Kevin Magnussen (ninth) and Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10, covered by 2.044sec.
Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc finished 12th, splitting the two McLarens led by Alonso while Stroll finished 14th, 2.319sec off the pace. Both Stroll and Leclerc spun early on in the session.
The Force India pair was fairly anonymous, finishing at the back in FP1 with Ocon 2.734sec off the pace, last but for Verstappen.
| 1 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1min 29.817sec | |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1min 29.828sec | +0.011sec |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1min 30.380sec | +0.563sec |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1min 30.472sec | +0.655sec |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1min 30.745sec | +0.928sec |
| 6 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1min 30.751sec | +0.934sec |
| 7 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1min 31.220sec | +1.403sec |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 1min 31.232sec | +1.415sec |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1min 31.282sec | +1.465sec |
| 10 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1min 31.422sec | +1.605sec |
| 11 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1min 31.591sec | +1.774sec |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz Jr | Renault | 1min 31.601sec | +1.784sec |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1min 31.809sec | +1.992sec |
| 14 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1min 31.868sec | +2.051sec |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1min 31.969sec | +2.152sec |
| 16 | Charles Leclerc | Sauber | 1min 32.372sec | +2.555sec |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1min 32.382sec | +2.565sec |
| 18 | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams | 1min 32.474sec | +2.657sec |
| 19 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1min 32.733sec | +2.916sec |
| 20 | Brendon Hartley | Toro Rosso | 1min 32.908sec | +3.091sec |
| 1 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1min 31.060sec | |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1min 31.364sec | +0.304sec |
| 3 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1min 31.458sec | +0.398sec |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1min 31.470sec | +0.410sec |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1min 32.272sec | +1.212sec |
| 6 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1min 32.516sec | +1.456sec |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 1min 32.779sec | +1.719sec |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz Jr | Renault | 1min 32.885sec | +1.825sec |
| 9 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1min 32.971sec | +1.911sec |
| 10 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1min 33.104sec | +2.044sec |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1min 33.223sec | +2.163sec |
| 12 | Charles Leclerc | Sauber | 1min 33.278sec | +2.218sec |
| 13 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1min 33.364sec | +2.304sec |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1min 33.379sec | +2.319sec |
| 15 | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams | 1min 33.467sec | +2.407sec |
| 16 | Brendon Hartley | Toro Rosso | 1min 33.497sec | +2.437sec |
| 17 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1min 33.508sec | +2.448sec |
| 18 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1min 33.662sec | +2.602sec |
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1min 33.794sec | +2.734sec |
| 20 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
An impatient Max Verstappen was forced off track in his rash bid to pass Lewis Hamilton at the 2018 Chinese GP. Last weekend, in the same situation, at the same corner, he bided his time. Mark Hughes examines the shifting statures of the two champions
Fifty years ago, Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo leapt into the air as Niki Lauda won the 1974 Spanish Grand Prix, claiming his first victory in the F1 championship. Matt Bishop recounts the remarkable race
Will Zhou Guanyu's first Chinese GP as an F1 driver also be his last? Chris Medland on an emotional homecoming. Plus, points galore, with a proposal to expand the points places and an unwelcome tally for Fernando Alonso
The scarred and burned helmet, worn by Niki Lauda in his Nürburgring crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix, is being sold at public auction for the first time