Norris sets the pace on the second morning of testing in Bahrain; Alonso finishes ninth

Bahrain, (EFE). – Briton Lando Norris, McLaren driver, signed the best record of the second day of Formula 1 preseason testing, surpassing the Dutchman Max Verstappen, from Red Bull Racing, and the Briton George Russell, representative of Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Spaniard Fernando Alonso, driving the Aston Martin F1 Team single-seater, concluded the morning session with the ninth best time.

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After a previous day marked by a prolonged pause on the track, Alonso completed 40 laps this time —12 more than the day before— with short runs focused on gathering data and sensations. The team opted for a conservative strategy, prioritizing adjustments and technical analysis instead of seeking fast records, while the performance of the single-seater is still far from the leaders. The British team’s plan is for the Asturian to continue driving in the afternoon with more extensive simulations to continue evaluating the AMR26. For Friday’s session, the full turn at the wheel will be for the Canadian Lance Stroll. Norris stopped the clock at 1:33.453 using soft tires, the best accumulated time so far in the trials, although his session ended momentarily when the car stopped during a starting simulation after demanding too much from the turbo. Verstappen was just a tenth behind with the same compound. Further back in the table appeared the British Lewis Hamilton, whose Scuderia Ferrari single-seater only completed five laps while the team was carrying out configuration tests. The previous day, his teammate Charles Leclerc had led the morning session. One of the most striking technical details was precisely an aerodynamic innovation observed on the track: an element of the Ferrari’s wing that rotated on itself to reduce drag and increase top speed on the straight.