General
Day 2 of the Bahrain F1 winter test: `This is your guidebook!
- Ludo van Denderen
The first day of the winter test in Bahrain is over, but there is not much time to rest following the eight hours. After a night's sleep, the test will continue with Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez in action for the first time. Max Verstappen will also get another four hours, and everyone will be curious: will he be as dominant as he was on Wednesday? In any case, plenty to look forward to! We have listed the key points for you in our guidebook for day two.
The test in Bahrain at the International Circuit is also split into two sessions on Thursday. The first car can hit the track at 10:00 am local time (8:00 am CET / 7:00 am GMT), and racing ends at 2:00pm local time (12:00 pm CET / 11:00 am GMT). The afternoon session starts at 15:00 Bahrain time (13:00 CET / 12:00 GMT) and ends after four hours at 19:00 local time.
Who will be in action on Wednesday?
Morning (Start 8:00am CET / 7:00am GMT):
Red Bull - Sergio Perez
Ferrari - Charles Leclerc
Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton
Alpine - Pierre Gasly
McLaren - Oscar Piastri
Stake F1 - Guanyu Zhou
Aston Martin - Fernando Alonso
Haas - Nico Hulkenberg
Visa Cash App RB - Yuki Tsunoda
Williams - Logan Sargeant
Afternoon (Start 13:00 CET / 12:00):
Red Bull - Max Verstappen
Ferrari - Carlos Sainz
Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton
Alpine - Esteban Ocon
McLaren - Lando Norris
Stake F1 - Valtteri Bottas
Aston Martin - Lance Stroll
Haas - Kevin Magnussen
Visa Cash App F1 - Daniel Ricciardo
Williams - Logan Sargeant
What's the weather like in Bahrain?
The weather was good on Wednesday. Good news: on Thursday, little is going to change! It will remain around 22 degrees Celsius during the day, and the chance of rain is (again) estimated at 0 per cent. As on Wednesday, the wind will pick up during the day. So it would be wise to bring a jacket, should you decide to head to the track.
What stood out during the first day of testing?
Of course, it's only a test. And yes, it was the first day. But the Red Bull is very fast. Max Verstappen and his team did not seem to have any problems with the car. Perhaps the competitors were somewhat demoralised, with a 1.1-second gap to second-place Lando Norris. Behind Verstappen, though, the differences were very small. But can they close that already huge gap in the coming days?
What should we be looking out for on Day 2?
Not only will Max Verstappen be in action, but his teammate Sergio Perez will also get to take a seat in the RB20. What is going to be interesting is whether the Mexican manages to create as much of a gap as the rest or whether this is really reserved for Verstappen.
And then we have Mercedes
Yes, Mercedes. The first day was one full of challenges, so to speak. George Russell lost an hour of precious time in the morning session on Wednesday because of hydraulic problems. Once on track, the speed was not there either. Giving up almost three seconds to Red Bull is a bit too much. But it could be start-up problems. Maybe the car will improve overnight. Either way, it will be the first time Lewis Hamilton will be able to drive the W15 over an extended period of time. We are already curious about his verdict.
Anything else to look out for?
Haas. They had a terrible 2023 season. Come the next season, things don't really seemed to have improved. It could be a really, really long season. At the back, teams like VCARB and Stake F1 do seem to have made some strides forward. Nice for midfield excitement, although Haas will think otherwise after just one day.
How do you follow all the action?
GPblog will once again keep you up to date with all the happenings on track throughout the day via a liveblog. If you still want to watch live yourself, you can go to Sky Sports in the United Kingdom or F1TV in most countries worldwide.