The second morning of pre-season testing was impacted by changing weather conditions, limiting the teams’ ability to execute their planned run programs. Following the power outage that affected Wednesday’s session, rain became the primary obstacle on Thursday, disrupting the early hours of running. Despite the damp conditions, drivers were initially able to take to the track on slick tyres before the rain intensified.

Mercedes started strongly, with George Russell setting the initial benchmark at 1:30.379s before his former teammate Lewis Hamilton edged ahead with a 1:30.080s. However, as the rain became heavier, the track surface deteriorated, forcing most teams back to the pits. Haas and Aston Martin were the only two squads to have brought wet-weather tyres, and Esteban Ocon was the first to return to action on intermediates as conditions slightly improved.

Once running resumed, Hamilton continued to assert his dominance, posting a 1:29.670s to reclaim the top spot, though Russell briefly dethroned him before the seven-time world champion set an even faster lap of 1:29.379s. Carlos Sainz put in an impressive performance for Williams, slotting into third with a time of 1:30.090s.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri endured a challenging morning, struggling to find rhythm before making contact with Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber at Turn 8. The Australian was able to continue but finished seventh in the session.

A red flag was brought out in the closing moments as the FIA conducted a Virtual Safety Car test, followed by a sequence of formation laps and a practice start.

By the end of the session, Hamilton remained the fastest driver, with Russell second and Sainz rounding out the top three. Pierre Gasly put Alpine in fourth, just ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.

Yuki Tsunoda finished sixth for Racing Bulls, while Piastri secured seventh. Liam Lawson, with limited running for Red Bull, ended up in eighth, followed by Nico Hulkenberg in ninth and Ocon in tenth.

The afternoon session will begin at the same time as yesterday,15:00 local time (13:00 CET), with some teams switching drivers.