SAKHIR, Bahrain — During the second day of Formula 1 preseason testing in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton showcased impressive speed in his new Ferrari, clocking the fastest time despite the challenge of unusual desert rain affecting the session on Thursday morning.
Hamilton achieved this feat with a time nearly four-tenths of a second quicker than Mercedes’ George Russell, his former teammate. Coming in third was Carlos Sainz, Jr. representing Williams. The Ferrari team’s principal, Fred Vasseur, expressed satisfaction with their progress, stating that reliability remains a top priority as the season kick-starts. So far, the performance of their new SF-25 model in Bahrain has been encouraging.
Evaluating the true performance of vehicles during testing can be challenging, as teams don’t reveal the amount of fuel used in their runs, added Vasseur. Hamilton’s pace on Thursday was notably faster by an entire second compared to the quickest lap on the first day, set by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
An unexpected bout of light rain midway through the session complicated matters further, along with the uncharacteristically cold weather for the desert location. Most teams had expected dry conditions; thus, only Aston Martin and Haas were prepared with wet-weather tires for the unexpected circumstances.
Testing is set to continue with another session later on Thursday before wrapping up with the final round on Friday. The 2023 Formula 1 season will commence with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 16.
