Hamilton leads morning of second test as rain causes more disruption · RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton set the quickest time of testing so far as Formula 1’s official pre-season running reached its halfway point in Bahrain.

However the track fell silent during scheduled running for the second day in a row, this time due to rain at the desert track.

Almost no one circulated for the best part of an hour, aside from Esteban Ocon, who completed a short run in his Haas. The team was one of only two to have selected a set of intermediate tyres, which they fitted to his car for his brief run on the damp track.

The drivers returned once the track dried out. Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg were involved in a minor incident at turn eight, the McLaren driver tapping the Sauber on its right-rear as he tried to pass, then gesturing to him afterwards. Both returned to the pits but neither appeared to suffer any lasting damage.

Hamilton chipped away at the best time, eventually leaving it at a 1’29.379 before handing his car over to team mate Charles Leclerc for the rest of the day’s running again. His best effort was over half a second faster than the quickest time set at this test last, also by Ferrari, in the hands of his predecessor Carlos Sainz Jnr.

Unlike yesterday, two drivers were scheduled to spend the entire day in their cars: Sainz at Williams and Liam Lawson at Red Bull. However the latter was confined to his garage after just 28 laps with an apparent power unit problem.

Despite the interruption caused by the rain, two drivers were able to complete more than a race distance in the morning, George Russell logging the most laps with 71. He, Ocon and Piastri joined in a scheduled test of the Virtual Safety Car, suspended start and race start procedures at the end of the session.

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