Mercedes back above as Bottas ’low-fuel end run spills out Gasly, Stroll and Norris; Hamilton spun in a morning session, topped by Ricciardo; Red Bull chooses not to follow fast-paced times on Day Two
By Matt Morlidge
Last updated: 13/03/21 4:56 pm
Valtteri Bottas set the pace on the second day of the F1 Test when Mercedes returned from their slow start in Bahrain, advancing to AlphaTauri, Aston Martin and McLaren in an increasingly fast-paced competitive closing session.
After their impressive opening day under the auspices of the 2021 reliability, Mercedes – despite Lewis Hamilton turning into the gravel before lunch – came through Saturday’s run, finishing more than 100 laps while they were also taking the more familiar position at the top of the schedules thanks to Bottas low -bull soft-tire tires late in the day.
“This is the best half day for Mercedes at test, with a few margins,” said Martin Brundle at Sky F1. “It’s just starting to come back under control again.”
2:28 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes flew the red flag at the second day’s test session in Bahrain, after spinning his car at turn 13, ebbing the W12 in the process
Bottas’ 1: 30.289, the fastest lap of the test so far, was a tenth of a second faster than Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll – who helped Aston Martin kick back from a turbulent morning – while McLaren in the mix all day.
Signing star Daniel Ricciardo set up the schedules in the morning, and Lando Norris finished just 0.3s down on Bottas with his new Mercedes power as the pace went up under the lights.
Antonio Giovinazzi, faster than Charles Leclerc Ferrari ‘s work in his Alfa Romeo – although Fernando Alonso completed 128 laps on his first F1 session in two years, and less than a month after Alpine returns twice in the world his jaws in a cycling accident.
1:07 Red Bull’s Sergio Perez saw his engine cover fall due to a collision while driving behind Williams’ Nicholas Latifi during the afternoon session of the second day
Apparently not at the front Red Bull, who opted not to follow head-to-head moments while Sergio Perez picked up plenty of miles on his first official day in the RB16B, completion of the eighth.
More to follow …