Oscar Piastri Takes Second on Day 2 of Bahrain Testing

Kimi Antonelli edged out Oscar Piastri by a razor-thin 0.058 seconds to top the timesheets on the penultimate day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain. While lap times remain an unreliable indicator of true performance, the session provided crucial race simulation data for teams, with Max Verstappen completing a mammoth 139 laps for Red Bull and Fernando Alonso's day cut short by a power unit issue at Aston Martin.

Why it matters:

Pre-season testing is less about the headline lap times and more about reliability, data gathering, and understanding the new car's characteristics. A smooth, productive run plan is the primary goal, making the high lap counts for front-runners like Verstappen and the disruptive technical issues for teams like Aston Martin the more telling stories of the day. These final sessions are the last chance to find and fix problems before the competitive lights go out next week.

The details:

• Tight at the Top: Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli set the benchmark with a 1:32.803, just ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Reigning champion Max Verstappen was third, over three-tenths back, but focused on long-run consistency.
• Productive Stints: Key drivers emphasized progress in their programs. Piastri completed 86 laps, focusing on race runs and pit stop simulations, stating the team "made some good improvements." Teammate Lando Norris, who led the morning session, also noted positive steps in understanding tire performance and the new car's start procedures.
• Reliability Mixed Bag: While Red Bull (139 laps) and McLaren showed strong reliability, Aston Martin faced a setback. Fernando Alonso's afternoon ended early due to a power unit-related issue, limiting his running and leaving the team with fixes to find before the weekend.
• Behind the Timesheet: The results table, as always in testing, requires context. Many drivers, including Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, did not set a representative lap time as they worked through specific data-gathering programs and race simulations rather than low-fuel qualifying runs.

What's next:

The final day of testing begins Friday, offering teams one last opportunity to refine their cars and strategies. All eyes will be on how teams like Aston Martin recover from their issues and whether any team shows its hand with a more aggressive performance run. The data collected over these three days will then be analyzed intensely before cars return to the same track for the first Grand Prix of the 2026 season next week, where the true competitive order will finally be revealed.