The second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing at the Bahrain Circuit turned out to be highly productive for Scuderia Ferrari, with the Ferrari SF-24 completing a total of 141 laps, equivalent to 763 km, thanks to the joint efforts of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The day could have yielded even better results if not for a mishap involving Leclerc, which led to an extended interruption of the session.
In the morning, the Monegasque driver encountered an unexpected issue due to an external factor: a drain cover was lifted following Lewis Hamilton‘s ride over the curb at turn 11. This incident damaged the bottom of the SF-24 as Charles Leclerc was driving the same stretch.
Ferrari SF-24: here’s how the second day of pre-season testing went
The situation required the intervention of the race direction, which displayed the red flag for over an hour to ensure the safety of all the drain covers on the circuit. Before this incident, Leclerc had already completed 36 laps, recording a best time of 1:31.750, focusing on evaluating and refining the car with a constant focus on the medium C3 compound.
In the afternoon, Charles Leclerc returned to the track to complete an additional 18 laps, without improving his time, bringing his total to 54 laps, equivalent to 292.2 km. Subsequently, the team adjusted the SF-24’s configuration to suit Carlos Sainz’s needs.
Sainz began his stint at 3:00 PM, also focusing on tuning and evaluating the car. Unlike Leclerc, Sainz also tested the Soft C4 tire and ran with a reduced fuel load, aiming to optimize the qualifying setup and recording the best time of 1:29.921. He concluded his day with long runs in race configuration, covering a total of 87 laps, equivalent to 470.8 km.
For the concluding day of testing at Sakhir, Sainz and his Ferrari SF-24 will take the wheel first, while Leclerc will finish the session in the afternoon.
“Another day of testing completed without issues, sticking to the pre-established plan. Our afternoon was productive, allowing us to work with various fuel levels and make interesting comparisons. I’m eager to get back in the car tomorrow morning to focus especially on long runs,” said Carlos Sainz.
“The first two days of testing have been positive, and today we completed our program, although it’s too early to talk about competitiveness. I believe the true values on the field will only manifest during qualifying next week. We made some significant changes to the car between yesterday and today, working on the details of the setup. Tomorrow we will continue the work, aiming to make the most of the last day of testing,” stated Charles Leclerc.