The second day of F1 Testing Day Two in Bahrain provided more clarity on the pecking order for the 2025 season. While Carlos Sainz set the fastest time in his Williams, McLaren continued to look like the early favorite over a full race stint. With teams balancing performance runs, race simulations, and reliability issues, here’s how the day unfolded.
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McLaren Looks Strong Over Race Distance
While Williams grabbed headlines with Sainz’s fastest lap, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes engaged in a direct race simulation battle in the afternoon. The results? McLaren appears to hold a slight but meaningful edge.
| Stint | Norris (McLaren) | Leclerc (Ferrari) | Antonelli (Mercedes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st stint | 17 laps (C3) | 15 laps (C3) | 19 laps (C3) |
| 2nd stint | 16 laps (C2) | 16 laps (C2) | 13 laps (C2) |
| 3rd stint | 18 laps (C1) | 20 laps (C2) | 19 laps (C2) |
| Team | Stint 1 Avg. | Stint 2 Avg. | Stint 3 Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| McLaren | 1m 35.5s | 1m 35.5s | 1m 33.0s |
| Ferrari | 1m 35.9s | 1m 34.8s | 1m 34.2s |
| Mercedes | 1m 35.9s | 1m 34.7s | 1m 34.0s |
Over a simulated 51-lap race, McLaren finished 12 seconds ahead of Ferrari, with Mercedes another 2 seconds behind. However, tire strategy played a role—Norris ran the hardest C1 tire in his final stint, while Ferrari and Mercedes opted for the softer C2. This could mean McLaren’s advantage isn’t as big as it seems, but the team’s confidence is clear.
Sainz Tops the Timing Sheets
Williams took a different approach, focusing on shorter performance runs. Carlos Sainz set the fastest lap of testing so far, narrowly beating Lewis Hamilton’s morning benchmark for Ferrari. However, with Williams not completing a full race simulation, their true pace remains uncertain.
Top 18 Lap Times – F1 Testing Day Two
| Position | Driver (Team) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Sainz (Williams) | 1m29.348s |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) | +0.031s |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | +0.083s |
| 4 | George Russell (Mercedes) | +0.430s |
| 5 | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) | +0.436s |
| 6 | Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) | +0.881s |
| 7 | Liam Lawson (Red Bull) | +0.904s |
| 8 | Jack Doohan (Alpine) | +1.020s |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly (Alpine) | +1.082s |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) | +1.327s |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) | +1.352s |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) | +1.445s |
| 13 | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | +1.473s |
| 14 | Lando Norris (McLaren) | +1.534s |
| 15 | Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) | +1.709s |
| 16 | Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) | +2.109s |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon (Haas) | +3.723s |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman (Haas) | +5.024s |
What’s Next?
With only one more day of testing left, teams will look to fine-tune their setups and chase outright performance. McLaren’s race pace advantage suggests they could be the team to beat, but with Red Bull losing track time, we’re yet to see their true potential.
Will McLaren solidify their position as favorites? Or will Ferrari and Mercedes close the gap? Stay tuned for F1 Testing Day Three as the final pieces of the 2025 season puzzle fall into place.
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Featured Image courtesy of the Williams Racing content pool.