Friday practice in Bahrain is different compared to most other races on the calendar. Because the Grand Prix is held at night, FP1 is difficult to deconstruct as the conditions alter completely. But with temperature and lighting equal to the race in FP2, we can kind of find out what to expect for the rest of the weekend.
Ferrari are back to the top
Ferrari seemed to be off the pace in Australia compared to their strong outing in Barcelona. But they've seemingly answered their own questions by recording a one-two in both Friday sessions.
Ferrari locked out the front-row here 12 months ago, and after Friday's performance, there doesn't seem to be a reason why the result can't be repeated. Though Vettel had a little moment in FP2!
What about Mercedes and Red Bull
Mercedes follow up behind Ferrari. Toto Wolff confirmed that Valtteri Bottas is continuing his fine form from Australia, while Lewis Hamilton is fighting back. As always, the Silver Arrow will have more to give tomorrow and they will make a fight for the front row tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Red Bull seem to be struggling with the soft tyres. Verstappen and Gasly both said they feel comfortable on the medium, but lack grip with the soft. The Dutchman was beaten by Nico Hulkenberg's Renault, while Gasly finished outside the top 10. As Verstappen admitted, they've got some work to do. Qualifying might not be their strong point, but things could turn around for them on Sunday.
Big woes for Mercedes customer teams
The two Williams cars are again parked right at the back of the grid, while Racing Point could only manage P14 and P17. Lance Stroll expected to be much higher when he left Williams behind, but it doesn't seem to be the case. However, Racing Point's Saturday and Sunday was much better in Australia. Stroll demonstrated he can move through the field, something which he may have to repeat in Bahrain.
Tyres, tyres, tyres.
We've already touched on Red Bull's trouble with the soft compound, but what about the temperatures.
Even the experienced Kimi Raikkonen struggled as he came back on track for the first time in FP2. He spun his Alfa Romeo as he was caught out on the difference in track temperature from FP1. Also noteworthy is the duration of hot laps on the tyres. Pace from most of the drivers indicated that tyres dropped off after a single hot lap and wouldn’t hold on for a second attempt with a cool off lap in between.