Carlos Sainz set the fastest time in the afternoon session on the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, putting Williams at the top of the overall timesheets with a lap of 1:29.348. The Spaniard, who had already been out on track in the morning, was sent back out by the team for more running and managed to complete a total of 127 laps by the end of the day.

Charles Leclerc was right behind him for Ferrari, just 0.031 seconds off the pace. He didn’t cover as much distance, managing 83 laps in total, but his time of 1:29.431 was enough to put him second in the afternoon standings.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli continued to show promise in his first proper F1 test outing, finishing third in the session with a 1:29.784 after logging 87 laps.

Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, as of the afternoon runners, for Aston Martin, setting a best time of 1:30.229 after 57 laps. Red Bull sent Liam Lawson back out in the afternoon, and he put in a strong showing, setting a 1:30.252 while racking up 91 laps.

Alpine’s Jack Doohan also made it into the top ten, posting a 1:30.368 after 80 laps. Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar, driving for Racing Bulls, was just a few tenths behind, putting in a solid run with 94 laps completed and a best time of 1:30.675.

Lando Norris had a slightly subdued session in terms of outright speed, finishing eighth in the afternoon but 14th overall with a 1:30.882, 1.534 seconds down on Sainz’s benchmark. However, McLaren seemed more focused on long runs, and there were signs that the car had more pace than the times suggested. Norris had been on course to go quickest at one point but abandoned his flying lap before completing it.

Gabriel Bortoleto, running for Sauber, took ninth place in the afternoon with a 1:31.057, while Oliver Bearman finished last in the afternoon as well as overall for Haas. The British driver, who had limited running in the afternoon, ended up more than five seconds off the pace with a best lap of 1:34.372.