Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on top in FP2 for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, setting the fastest time of the second practice session at the Sepang International Circuit.
After finishing fourth in FP1, the Monegasque made a significant step forward during the second session, emerging at the head of an extremely tight field as teams continued their preparations for qualifying and the race.
Leclerc beats Hadjar by 99 thousandths
Leclerc secured the fastest lap of FP2 by the narrowest of margins, finishing just 0.099 seconds ahead of Isack Hadjar.
It was another impressive performance from the Frenchman, who had already shown strong pace during the opening practice session. However, Hadjar will have to deal with a five-place grid penalty after exceeding the permitted allocation of power unit components.
Behind the leading pair, Lando Norris took third place for McLaren, finishing only 0.137 seconds behind Leclerc.
The reigning world champion’s performance brought McLaren firmly back into contention after a more difficult opening practice session for the Woking-based team.
Verstappen fourth without using soft tyres
Max Verstappen finished fourth after setting the pace in FP1.
The Red Bull driver ended FP2 0.257 seconds behind Leclerc, although his position does not necessarily reflect the full potential of the RB22.
Verstappen did not use the soft tyre during the qualifying simulations, meaning Red Bull could still have significant performance in reserve heading into the remainder of the weekend.
With Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull separated by only a few tenths, the battle for pole position remains difficult to predict based purely on Friday’s running.
Hamilton fifth and under investigation
Lewis Hamilton completed an encouraging session for Ferrari by taking fifth place, although the seven-time world champion finished more than three tenths behind teammate Leclerc.
Hamilton also attracted the attention of the stewards following an alleged impeding incident involving Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi.
Oscar Piastri followed in sixth position with the second McLaren, completing a solid FP2 session for the British team.
Mercedes drops back despite upgrades
Mercedes was one of the biggest surprises of the second practice session.
The German manufacturer arrived at Sepang with significant upgrades for the W17, but neither driver was able to challenge the leading positions during FP2.
George Russell finished seventh, immediately ahead of championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli in eighth.
Both Mercedes drivers ended the session approximately half a second behind Leclerc’s benchmark.
The result represented a noticeable change compared with FP1, when Russell had finished second behind Verstappen while Antonelli had secured fifth place.
Liam Lawson took ninth for Racing Bulls, while Pierre Gasly completed the top ten for Alpine.
Bortoleto suffers late problem
Gabriel Bortoleto’s session ended prematurely after the Audi driver was forced to stop his car during the closing stages with a suspected gearbox problem.
Rain had been expected to potentially influence Friday’s running at Sepang, but FP2 remained dry, allowing teams to complete their planned programmes without major weather-related interruptions.
With Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren separated by fine margins — and Verstappen yet to show his pace on the soft tyre — the competitive picture remains wide open ahead of FP3 and qualifying.