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Daily Tribune
27-02-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain Day 2 Bombshell: Sainz Steals the Show
The afternoon session, running from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, saw Sainz cement his dominance. Remaining in the FW47, he trimmed his time to 1:29.335, still on C5s, edging out Max Verstappen's late push in the Red Bull RB21 at 1:29.652, 0.317 seconds behind, across an impressive 70 laps. Hamilton held third with a 1:30.430, 1.095 seconds off the lead, over 70 laps, Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed fourth with a 1:30.878, 1.543 seconds back, across 65 laps, and McLaren's Lando Norris took fifth with a 1:31.227, 1.892 seconds behind, over 60 laps. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso posted a 1:31.608 with 45 laps, Alpine's Jack Doohan recorded a 1:31.834 across 50 laps, Williams' Alex Albon notched a 1:32.345 with 55 laps, Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar hit a 1:33.688 over 40 laps, and Haas' Ollie Bearman trailed at 1:34.891 with 45 laps. Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto lagged at 1:34.891, 5.556 seconds off Sainz, with just 38 laps, a worrying gap. Rain returned lightly around 3:30 PM, prompting a flurry of cautious laps, but it cleared by 5:00 PM, allowing a dry, floodlit finish. Esteban Ocon's Haas VF-25 suffered a brief electrical issue, costing time before he salvaged 50 laps at 1:34.891; no red flags interrupted the relentless running. Sainz's consistency was striking as he squeezed every ounce from that Williams chassis. Verstappen's response was textbook Red Bull: fast, reliable, unfazed. Hamilton's mileage leap to 70 laps shows Ferrari's building a foundation, not just chasing headlines. Final Standings: Williams Surges, Mercedes Endures Sainz's 1:29.335 stood as the day's benchmark, his 55 laps pushing Williams to 112 total with Albon's 55. Red Bull matched Ferrari at 121 laps, Lawson's 51 paired with Verstappen's 70, while Mercedes led all comers with 136, Russell's 71 combining with Antonelli's 65. McLaren hit 107 with Piastri's 47 and Norris' 60, Alpine notched 101 with Gasly's 51 and Doohan's 50, and Racing Bulls reached 92 with Tsunoda's 52 and Hadjar's 40. Haas tallied 95 with Ocon's 50 and Bearman's 45, Aston Martin recorded 87 with Stroll's 42 and Alonso's 45, and Sauber lagged at 85 with Hulkenberg's 47 and Bortoleto's 38, the latter's pace deficit a glaring concern. Mercedes' lap haul is the stuff of champions; they're not just fast, they're unbreakable. Red Bull's 121 screams consistency, Ferrari's matching tally hints at depth, and Williams' surge, 112 laps with the top time, is the wildcard nobody saw coming. Sharpest on Display Sainz owned Day 2; his 1:29.335 isn't luck but a sign Williams has found a groove absent since their glory days. Verstappen's 1:29.652 and 70 laps keep Red Bull as the gold standard, with those ERS tweaks paying off quietly. Hamilton's 1:30.430 across 70 laps is a masterclass; Ferrari has a contender who's already at home. Antonelli's 1:30.878 and 65 laps back up his Day 1 hype; Mercedes has a diamond in the rough. Norris' 1:31.227 with 60 laps keeps McLaren in the hunt, though they're pacing it, and smart money says they've got more in the tank. Bearman and Bortoleto's identical 1:34.891s, over five seconds off Sainz, are a red flag. Haas and Sauber's setups are creaking; they've got one day to sort it out or risk a long season. Day 2 Insights: A New Contender Emerges Yesterday cleared the chaos; there were no blackouts, just a rain tease, and the picture sharpened. Sainz's pace flipped the script; Williams might be more than a midfield scrappy. Verstappen's Red Bull remains the rock with 70 laps, tight times, and no drama. Ferrari's Hamilton-Leclerc duo is gelling; 121 laps isn't a fluke. Mercedes' mileage edge at 136 and Antonelli's rise signal a resurgence worth watching today. McLaren's 107 laps and Norris' steady hand suggest they're playing the long game. Day 3 is now the final act, and Sainz just made it a hell of a watch.
Daily Tribune
27-02-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Tribune
F1 2025 Testing: Bahrain Day 1 Wraps with Norris on Top
Day 1 of Formula 1's 2025 pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit is in the books, and it proved to be a dramatic opener. From a rookie's morning blitz to a power blackout throwing the afternoon into chaos, the teams battled through to an 8:00 PM finish. Three days—ending February 28—are all they've got before Melbourne, and Bahrain dished out a gritty start. The morning's 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM slot saw Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli light up the timesheets with a 1:31.428 over 64 laps, topping the pack. Red Bull's Liam Lawson pushed close (1:31.560, +0.132, 61 laps) despite a spin at Turn 3, while Williams' Alex Albon nabbed third (1:31.573, +0.145, 52 laps). Max Verstappen took fourth (1:31.610, +0.182, 55 laps) in the RB21, and Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut landed fifth (1:31.834, +0.406, 48 laps) in the SF-25. Alpine's Jack Doohan (P6, 1:31.841, +0.413, 50 laps) and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso (P7, 1:31.874, +0.446, 40 laps) hung tough, but McLaren's Oscar Piastri (P8, 1:32.084, +0.656, 42 laps), Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg (P9, 1:32.084, +0.656, 45 laps), and Haas' Ollie Bearman (P10, 1:35.477, +4.049, 56 laps) trailed. No breakdowns marred the run—teams logged laps under windy conditions and mid-20s heat, with the abrasive track chewing through tires early. BIC Chief Executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, speaking exclusively to TDT yesterday, framed the stakes: 'I think with pre-season testing and because they only have these three days to test their cars, they have a program of trying to identify everything that they had during the wind tunnel testing and correlate that and make sure that it is the same when they drive on track.' That focus shone through—morning laps were all about data, not drama. Afternoon Session: Norris Strikes Late The afternoon, starting at 3:00 PM, hit a snag when a circuit-wide power outage at 4:30 PM killed the lights and stopped the clocks for over an hour. Esteban Ocon's Haas VF-25 sat stranded, headlights cutting the dusk, until power limped back by 6:50 PM. The FIA pushed the finish to 8:00 PM, and teams scrambled to reclaim lost ground as raindrops teased the cameras. Lando Norris seized the day, posting a 1:30.027 on C5 tires—softest of the lot—edging Ferrari's Charles Leclerc (1:30.558, +0.531, 84 laps) by half a second. Mercedes' George Russell took third (1:31.082, +1.055, 68 laps), Verstappen fourth (1:31.395, +1.368, 61 laps), and Ocon fifth (1:31.840, +1.813, 54 laps). Williams' Carlos Sainz (P6, 1:32.890, +2.460, 60 laps), Alpine's Pierre Gasly (P7, 1:33.385, +2.955, 48 laps), Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar (P8, 1:33.688, +3.258, 50 laps), Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto (P9, 1:34.891, +4.461, 48 laps), and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll (P10, 1:35.915, +5.485, 44 laps) closed it out. Shaikh Salman predicted the late twist to TDT: 'By the second, third day, I expect some teams trying to push the timings and create a little drama to see if they are really quick or are they high on fuel, light on fuel.' Norris' flyer on softs—fuel load unclear—proved him right, stirring the pot early. Final Tally: Lap Counts and Leaders Norris' late charge sealed Day 1's bragging rights, but lap counts tell the deeper tale. Ferrari led with 132 (Hamilton 48, Leclerc 84), Mercedes matched at 132 (Antonelli 64, Russell 68), and McLaren hit 119 (Piastri 42, Norris 77). Red Bull's 122 (Verstappen 61, Lawson 61) was rock-solid, Williams notched 112 (Albon 52, Sainz 60), and Alpine's 98 (Doohan 50, Gasly 48) held firm. Haas (110, Bearman 56, Ocon 54) and Racing Bulls (106, Tsunoda 56, Hadjar 50) stayed busy, while Sauber (93, Hulkenberg 45, Bortoleto 48) and Aston Martin (84, Alonso 40, Stroll 44) trailed. No major breakdowns—just the blackout—kept the focus on mileage. Piastri, who ran morning, told reporters pre-session: 'You're 99% looking at yourself and looking at how the car's behaving, if it's behaving as you expect, and then trying things with the setup.' His P8 faded, but Norris' haul—77 laps, P1—showed McLaren's grit. Sharpest on Track Norris' 1:30.027 and 77 laps scream McLaren's ready to defend their crown, shrugging off Bahrain's rough edges. Antonelli's morning pace—64 laps, P1 then—marks him as a rookie to watch, giving Mercedes early swagger. Ferrari's Hamilton-Leclerc duo piled on 132 laps, Red Bull's Verstappen-Lawson pairing hit 122—both unflappable. Williams' Albon and Sainz quietly racked up 112, while Haas' Bearman and Sauber's Bortoleto lagged—gaps of +4.049 and +4.461 hint at growing pains. Chaos and Clues The power outage was Day 1's villain—over an hour lost, teams fuming, Ocon's Haas a ghost in the dark. Wind and dust messed with aero reads, and late raindrops kept everyone guessing. Shaikh Salman predicted: 'With tyre deg, especially with the wind tomorrow and the next couple of days, it will be interesting to see how much data they pick up and how much different it will be when the race comes in April.' Yesterday's 100-plus lap hauls proved teams adapted—tires got hammered, data got banked. Tech peeked through: Ferrari's pull-rod suspension, Red Bull's ERS tweak, and McLaren's late surge held up. Shaikh Salman's vision for the bigger picture landed too: 'We want a safe race, one, and two, an exciting race where people come, see the excitement, the sparks. His parting words also rang true: 'The desert never sleeps and it's going to come alive with the race and we look forward to seeing you all there.'
