Mercedes faces trouble as Alfa Romeo's Zhou sets fastest lap time
Event: 2023 Pre-Season F1 testing
Track: Bahrain International Circuit
After missing some laps in the morning session, Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu immediately headed out for the afternoon session. He was joined by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who quickly set the third-fastest lap on prototype tires.
As drivers adapt to the cars of two different official drivers, Aston Martin Ambassador and former F1 driver, Pedro de la Rosa, explained that test drivers need to understand their car and who they work for. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries, Verstappen and Zhou, were the first on the track for the afternoon session.
Verstappen improved his lap time time and was now sitting in second place. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri's McLaren was covered in flow vis paint, gathering aerodynamic data for the team.
Logan Sargeant driving the Williams FW45 during test day 2
Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi stated that the team's goal was to make a step forward and be "deep into the points, Q3, fighting for fifth or sixth." While Nicholas Sargeant was out on the track for his afternoon session and was likely on a race simulation run.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen set the fastest lap time of the day on medium compound tires while Mercedes driver George Russell commented on the improvements made to the car since last year and stated that they are "where we expected to be at this time of year."
Meanwhile, Alex Albon from Williams revealed they have "tanked it up high [on fuel]," and his car feels like they are addressing some of the weaknesses from last year. Rookie driver Oscar Piastri has already completed 22 laps in the McLaren and the team has had to contend with a few mechanical gremlins.
Day two of the F1 testing in Bahrain saw some interesting developments, including Russell's steering wheel being spotted with some sensor wires yesterday, that have since disappeared.
Half way the session Verstappen continued to look confident, but his rival Leclerc began to kick up sparks, suggesting that Ferrari may be adjusting their ride height. AlphaTauri continued to impress, having completed well over 100 laps so far. Meanwhile, Sargeant, the rookie driver for Williams, became the first driver to record 100 laps today.
The Mercedes garage appears happy, although they do not believe they are on par with Red Bull and Ferrari yet. Hulkenberg improved his time to jump up to second place, while Alonso and Zhou have both passed 90 laps in the cockpit. Russell completed 20 laps but is currently out of his car as the mechanics work on it.
As the sun sets on the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain, teams are starting to focus on performance laps. The consensus in the paddock is that Red Bull looks strong, Ferrari is hiding its form, and Mercedes is still slightly off the pace.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14 during the 2023 Bahrain February Testing
Mercedes driver George Russell caused the first red flag of the day due to a suspected hydraulics issue. Red flags are lengthy as mechanics are particular about covering up the car's floor to prevent other teams from seeing their advantages.
Fernando Alonso had just catapulted himself from sixth to second on the timesheet, and Aston Martin is said to be looking very strong. Testing is about testing everything from car parts to driver fitness, and there is so much work going on behind the scenes that we only see a fraction of on race day.
As the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain came to a close, Technical Expert Sam Collins reported an issue with the Alpine's rear axle. The team struggled to remove the rear wheels during practice pit stops and after investigating the rear jack and the wheel guns, the issue was found to be with the rear axle.
The problem was not present the day before, but the team did not practice their pit stops as much. Tyres were also a talking point as the teams collected data on every compound for the season, but only the C1, C2, and C3 rubber will be used in the race next week, with the red marker tyres not in use.
Williams conducted a practice with driver Sargeant, in case he has a battery issue during the season. The FIA tests began and after Zhou's car struggled to engage race mode, he finished with 133 laps and the quickest time, followed by Verstappen and Alonso. Mercedes encountered reliability issues as Russell lost over an hour of track time due to hydraulics failure. Testing concludes tomorrow and fans can expect a preview of the pecking order for the upcoming season.
Fastest lap times Day 2 Pre-season Testing
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Lap Time | 1st Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:31,610 | 132 | |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:31,650 | +0,040 | 47 |
| 3 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:32,205 | +0,595 | 130 |
| 4 | 21 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri | 1:32,222 | +0,612 | 74 |
| 5 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:32,466 | +0,856 | 68 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:32,486 | +0,876 | 70 |
| 7 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:32,549 | +0,939 | 154 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:32,725 | +1,115 | 68 |
| 9 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:33,175 | +1,565 | 74 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:33,186 | +1,576 | 59 |
| 11 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:33,442 | +1,832 | 67 |
| 12 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:33,490 | +1,880 | 49 |
| 13 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:33,654 | +2,044 | 26 |
| 14 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:33,751 | +2,141 | 76 |
| 15 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33,954 | +2,344 | 72 |
| 16 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35,522 | +3,912 | 65 |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:35,708 | +4,098 | 85 |
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Clearly a glory-run thing, but being first is never bad, even if irrelevant in testing.
Additionally, he made history by becoming the first Chinese driver to hold P1 in any official group session in F1.
AM seems in good shape for the season disregarding the ultimate performance level aspect, while Alpine & especially Mclaren are seemingly in less good shape comparatively for the upper midfield battle.