Kevin Magnussen goes surprise fastest on event-filled Day 2 of F1 testing in Bahrain

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen ended the second day of the F1 pre-season test in Bahrain as the fastest man on track, as his team was granted an extra hour of testing. While most teams had their runs interrupted by red flags, the Haas driver had an empty track to carry out his simulations.

The Danish driver one-upped Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz by a margin of three-tenths of a second on the C4 soft compound. The Haas driver’s fastest lap was clocked at 1 minute 33.207 seconds and he completed a total of 60 laps in the extra hour granted to his team. Although the track was empty and the temperature dropped, the Haas driver managed to outpace the Ferrari driver on the former's first outing in an F1 car since 2020.

The Haas team were granted extra time as they missed the morning session of the first day of testing due to freight delays. Sainz logged a total of 60 laps in the evening session as his testing duties were split with his Monegasque team-mate, who drove the F1-75 in the morning session.

Max Verstappen clocked the third fastest lap of the day on the C4 compound, racking up a total mileage of 86 laps. While the Dutchman was about half a second slower than Ferrari, most of his test simulations were interrupted by red flags. Verstappen also had a brief on-track duel with former team-mate Sainz in the evening session.

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, who was the fourth-fastest driver of the day, completed a total of 69 laps. The Canandian’s team-mate Sebastian Vettel clocked the eighth-fastest lap and completed a total of 46 laps. Together, the two Silverstone team drivers logged a total of 115 laps.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was the fifth-fastest driver of the day and completed only 47 laps. The Briton, however, used the C5 soft compound compared to the top four who used the slightly harder C4 soft compound tire range for their quick laps. The Mercedes champion’s team-mate George Russell clocked the thirteenth-fastest lap of the day, but completed a total of 66 laps. Both Mercedes drivers logged a total of 113 laps to add to their team tally.

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, who was fastest in the morning session, was the sixth-fastest driver of the day. The Frenchman had a trouble-free day of testing as he completed a total of 111 laps, the second highest by a driver in the entire day.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc clocked the seventh-fastest lap of the day, completing 54 laps in the morning session. Both Ferrari F1 team drivers managed to complete a total of 114 laps. McLaren driver Lando Norris, who was substituted for an unwell Daniel Ricciardo for the second day in a row, clocked the eighth-fastest lap of the day, and completed a total of 59 laps.

Alpha Tauri driver Yuki Tsunoda was the tenth-fastest driver of the day and also the busiest man on the circuit. The Japanese driver completed a total of 120 laps, the highest by a driver in the entire day. Unlike his team-mate Pierre Gasly, who topped the charts on the opening day of the Bahrain preseason test, Tsunoda seemed to be more focused on long runs than sprint simulations.

Williams F1 team driver Nicholas Latifi brought out the first red flag of the day as his car brakes caught fire. The Canadian completed 12 laps and was classified 14th on the time-sheets. Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas was the 11th-fastest driver of the day, completing a total of 25 laps. The Finn brought out the third red flag of the day as he stopped off-track in the morning session.

Haas driver Mick Schumacher managed 23 laps and was the 12th-fastest driver of the day. The German’s session, however, came to an early halt as he brought out the second red flag of the day. Ocon and Norris were the other two drivers who had stoppages, but both continued their sessions. There were two practice red flags, one in the morning session and one in the afternoon session.

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What does the pecking order of the F1 grid look like after second day in Bahrain?

Ferrari were once again ahead of the rest of the pack with their competitive time and reliability. The Maranello-based squad have been downplaying their performance, but have been extremely comfortable with their car concept.

Red Bull F1 team driver Max Verstappen was unable to beat Ferrari's quicker laps but managed to gather decent mileage in his car. While the Dutchman has targeted more than 100 laps, multiple red flags have made his targets unachievable. Nevertheless, the Milton Keynes-based squad had brand new updates flown in and were seen testing their new concepts.

Mercedes were better than their performance on the opening day of the F1 test in Bahrain, and their mileage reflected their reliability. The car, however, still had a few balance issues, and was seen bouncing in some corners on the circuit.

Midfielder Alpha Tauri looked strong for the second day in a row, with another 120 laps added to their test mileage. Their rival Alpine F1 team, who have been struggling since Barcelona, seem to have resolved their teething issues.