Leclerc tops day two of Bahrain testing as Red Bull bounce back after setbacks

The Monegasque, who spent the entire day at the wheel of the SF-26, held on to the fastest time he set in the morning, posting a 1:34.273 — which now stands as the quickest lap overall when combined with yesterday’s times as well.

Second place went to Lando Norris, confirming McLaren’s strong one-lap pace after setting the fastest time yesterday, with the reigning world champion finishing the day half a second off the top.

There was a fierce fight for third place in the afternoon between Oliver Bearman and George Russell, with the two Britons trading positions over several laps, but it was the Haas driver who ultimately finished ahead by less than a tenth.

After the overnight issues that cost him valuable track time, Isack Hadjar was still able to rack up mileage at the wheel of the RB22, eventually ending the day in fifth.

Progress was also evident at Audi, with Gabriel Bortoleto finishing sixth after taking over from his team-mate, slotting in just behind Hadjar.

Seventh place went to Pierre Gasly, who was unfortunately responsible for the second red flag of the day after parking his A526 at Turn 1 following an issue whose cause is still unclear.

Eighth was Alexander Albon, with the FW48 continuing to show very encouraging signs on the reliability front, while Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top 10. Below are the full results of the day.