Spanish driver Carlos Sainz wrapped up pre-season testing action on Thursday as the fastest man on track, leading the field after a full day of running at the wheel of the Williams Racing FW47 in Bahrain.
Carlos Sainz led the field on Thursday’s pre-season testing in Williams FW47 challenger, recording the fastest time of the day (1:29.348) on the C3s compounds in Sakhir.
The Spaniard drove the car on the second day of action, notching 127 laps. Teammate Alex Albon will return on Friday to take on driver duties for the final day.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s opening session saw seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton setting off proceedings for Scuderia Ferrari.
The Briton found his pace, sitting on top of the charts with a 1:29.379 lap time, three hundredths off the pace, on the C3s compound, switching between used and new sets.
He recorded 45 laps (243 kilometers) despite the cloudy, rainy weather that disrupted the first half of the session.
“We didn’t get to do as much running as we hoped because of the weather, but we have more time on track tomorrow to work through our program and to build even more comfort in the car,” the 40-year-old commented.
“I’m really enjoying working with the team, and we’re all looking forward to the final push tomorrow.”
Monegasque Charles Leclerc was in the SF-25 for the afternoon session and racked up 84 laps (454 km) across his stint, clocking the third-fastest time overall behind his teammate and Sainz.
The Maranello outfit worked through the planned program with the eight-time Grand Prix winner, which included a qualifying and race simulation.
On Friday, the team will switch to Leclerc running in the morning, who will hand over the SF-25 to Hamilton, going for a qualifying and race simulation in the last session.
Mercedes F1 Team rounded up testing, adding 158 laps to its tally, 71 ranked up by George Russell with the fourth fastest time of 1:29.778.
Then, rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli took over from Russell in the second session, clocking 87 laps (471km) to end as the fifth fastest.
At the end of the morning session, Red Bull Racing outing was compromised by the weather conditions and a loss of engine water pressure that forced Liam Lawson to return to the garage on more than one occasion.
Earlier, the squad ran a race-simulation program for general reliability checks, utilizing unpredictable conditions to gain the most knowledge in the driver from New Zealand’s first full day at the wheel of the RB21.
Lawson clocked a best time of 1:30.252 across 91 laps to finish seventh on the timesheets.
Alpine Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan split the second day, completing 120 laps (649km) at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Alpine Racing Director Dave Greenwood spoke about the challenging weather on a morning marked by cool temperatures and high winds.
“The wet track impacted Pierre’s running in the morning session, limiting him to 40 laps, which was well short of what we had planned and didn’t allow us to complete some of our tests, which required stable track conditions,” he stated.
“Nevertheless, we were still able to run through some useful tests this morning, and he will be back in the car tomorrow afternoon to conclude the three days with plenty of important work to do now in that final session.”
In the second session, the team focused on race weekend scenarios as Doohan, who will debut as a full-time Formula One driver in Melbourne, continues his preparation developing the A525 package ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
