Bahrain Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: McLaren dominates second session, Piastri leads the way

McLaren dominated both free practice sessions today, even though the team had suggested that Bahrain might be one of its least favorable circuits this season. The impressive gap to its rivals—over half a second to Mercedes, eight tenths to Red Bull, and 1.1 seconds to Ferrari—could indicate a significant advantage for the British team this weekend.

George Russell completed the provisional podium by finishing third at the wheel of his Mercedes, about half a second off Piastri’s pace. Charles Leclerc, who had missed the first practice session, climbed to fourth despite several off-track excursions, most notably at Turn 15 where his Ferrari ended up in the gravel.

Rookies in the spotlight

Among the standout performances, the rookies attracted plenty of attention. Kimi Antonelli, despite technical issues in the first session, ended the day in fifth. Isack Hadjar also impressed in sixth place, finishing ahead of Verstappen. Oliver Bearman, though puzzled by the final corner, delivered a solid performance to take seventh.

Verstappen struggles

Max Verstappen, winner of last week’s Japanese Grand Prix, endured a difficult session, ending up only seventh. The Dutchman reported several issues with his Red Bull, notably describing the car’s handling as “very bad” and saying it was “bouncing a lot.”

More concerningly, Verstappen mentioned persistent braking problems, particularly in the final corner, telling his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase that “the brakes really aren’t slowing the car down well.” These technical issues could help explain his underwhelming performance.

Incidents and setbacks

The session was marked by several incidents. Fernando Alonso had to bring his Aston Martin back to the pits after his steering wheel detached while on track. His team quickly resolved the issue, allowing him to return to the track late in the session.

Several drivers also struggled at Turn 10, a tricky part of the circuit. George Russell and Charles Leclerc both missed their braking points and ran off track. Verstappen, meanwhile, continued to report braking problems, especially in the final corner. Lewis Hamilton, who finished eighth and more than a second off the fastest time, also reported issues with his Ferrari during the session.

Race runs and strategy

Towards the end of the session, teams focused on race simulation runs using medium and soft tires. Piastri switched to the hard compound, while Norris continued with softs. Both McLaren drivers were lapping in the 1:38 range, while Russell recorded 1:39s in his Mercedes. Verstappen and Red Bull, on the other hand, still appeared to be struggling. The data collected during these stints will be crucial for the race, where tire management will be key under Bahrain’s night-time temperatures.

With such dominance shown in both free practice sessions, McLaren appears to be the team to beat this weekend in Bahrain. The question remains whether Red Bull and Ferrari can find solutions to their respective issues before Saturday’s qualifying session. The final free practice on Saturday will therefore be essential for fine-tuning setups ahead of what promises to be a hotly contested qualifying.

Free Practice 2 classification – 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix