Lewis Hamilton has continued his top form 2 weeks after clinching his 7th world title. Under pressure Albon destroyed his car in the second session, throwing his future into speculation.
Mercedes set the pace, Verstappen chases
Free Practice 1 was an unrepresentative session as cars tested the new Pirelli compound. Small spots of rain were spotted during the session as well, but are not expected to return.
Hamilton set the fastest time overall heading Verstappen by 0.3s in FP2. The championship is over for Bottas and it appears that his 2nd place in the standings could now be under threat. Albon was 7th before a huge crash in FP2 which caused huge damage to his car. It’ll be a long night for the mechanics, made worse as his pace was only good enough for 10th.
Racing Point continues strong performance
With 3 races to go, the battle for 3rd is still all to play for. Racing Point have taken a 5 point lead over McLaren following a strong performance in Turkey.
Hot off his 9th career podium, Perez has continued his outstanding form with 3rd and 4th place finishes. His team-mate could only manage a best of 8th in FP2.
Behind Perez, the next best car is almost impossible to judge. Ricciardo and Gasly lined up 5th and 6th both significantly outperforming their team-mates, who were 11th and 9th respectively. Norris split the teams, finishing 7th, but it was less encouraging for Sainz, who could only manage 13th.
Ferrari Falter
Despite Vettel’s first podium of 2020 in the last race, Ferrari appear to have stumbled into Bahrain with their fastest times only eligible for 12th and 14th. En route to recording the fastest time, Vettel was the most recent driver to sing over the radio after spotting a dog on track. However, his rendition of ‘Who let the dogs out’ was not as memorable as his performance in Turkey.
Robert Kubica made a welcome return in FP1 and actually managed to outpace team-mate Giovinazzi by almost 0.2s. The Italian bounced back to 15th in FP2, ahead of Raikkonen, 17th.
This leaves Williams and Haas who looked off the pace in both sessions. Haas were just in front with Magnussen 16th and Grosjean 19th in FP2, while Latifi and Russell were 18th and 20th respectively.
Mercedes were predicted to take the desert by storm, but the 2020 trend continues. Hamilton is infront, but Verstappen is nipping at the heels. Another disheartening prospect for Bottas, which may affect his ability to keep hold of 2nd overall.
The championship is sealed up, but there is still a lot to play for, with only 3 races left.
Featured Image Credit: @F1 Official Twitter
