Breaking News

Mercedes regain control in the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain

Mercedes regain control in the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain

13-03-2021 16:00 Last update: 16:01
1
Author profile picture

Matt Gretton

Editor-in-Chief

Valtteri Bottas has topped the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2021 Formula 1 season. Mercedes endured yet another challenging morning, but Bottas looked far more comfortable towards the end of the day. AlphaTauri and McLaren are the two other big winners of the day. Aston Martin experienced trouble in Vettel's morning session, but Lance Stroll gained key time in the afternoon. 

Another Mercedes gearbox problem occurred, this time in the Aston Martin garage. Sebastian Vettel posted just six laps until the final five minutes of the morning session when the four-time World Champion came out. Lance Stroll improved things in the afternoon with more than 65 laps. 

Lewis Hamilton was playing catch up until he spun out on the track and found a gravel trap. Despite this morning stoppage, Hamilton managed to complete over 50 laps. It took Valtteri Bottas over an hour to get going, but when he did the car looked a little more comfortable. In the final hour of the session, it looked as if Mercedes were starting to gain a bit more control. 

Despite it being windy, the conditions were much better than the sandstorm the drivers had to endure on Friday. 

Winners

Alpine are looking strong. Any concerns surrounding Fernando Alonso's fitness following his bike crash four weeks ago were removed. The two-time F1 world champion had a solid morning and in the afternoon the team opted to perform some longer runs. Following Ocon's bulletproof performance on Friday, Alonso produced over 120 laps.  

Daniel Ricciardo has completed two morning sessions in a McLaren car and topped both. McLaren do look comfortable out on the track, and reports suggest they are on schedule with their testing plans. 

Once again, the AlphaTauri looked like a strong car. Pierre Gasly went straight into long runs during the afternoon and was one of the most consistent drivers of the afternoon. Once those runs were completed, the Frenchman dropped in many quick laps towards the end of the session to bump them up the timesheets. 

The Ferrari woes were large, but Alfa Romeo and Antonio Giovinazzi proved that the new 2021 engine was working well. He became the first driver to drop into the 1:30s. 

The Williams team will be pleased with their performance so far this weekend. It's always difficult to judge, but reliability seems to be there with over 100 laps completed by Latifi. And the car looks smooth to drive. Latifi managed to keep up with Gasly during a mini on-track battle. 

Without a doubt, Mercedes improved on the second day of testing. Lewis Hamilton managed to get a good run before his trip to the gravel trap. When on the medium tyre, the British driver didn't look too comfortable. His lap was slow but it's unknown how much fuel he had in the back of his Mercedes or which engine mode was selected. 

But despite all of that, the Mercedes team will be feeling relaxed going into the final day of testing. The 

Losers 

Sebastian Vettel missed a lot of time during the morning session. He was parked in the garage with a gearbox failure, perhaps the same problem Valtteri Bottas experienced. The German recorded just 10 laps in the four-hour session. Neither Aston Martin driver impressed on the first day of testing either. 

Ferrari, who are looking to bounce back up the grid in 2021, had another quiet day. Carlos Sainz looked twitchy in the cockpit during the morning session suggesting issues in 2020 haven't been solved over the winter. On the long-run pace, Leclerc wasn't as quick as Gasly's AlphaTauri. And Haas continue to struggle at the back of the grid.