At the end of FP2, Lewis Hamilton ensured Mercedes clinched the top two positions during the first day of action of the 2024 Formula 1 season, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lagging behind in sixth spot.
Hamilton, who has not claimed a win in two years and is embarking on his last season with Mercedes before his astonishing move to Ferrari in 2025, stood out during the second practice session in the evening at the Bahrain International Circuit. He edged out his teammate George Russell by 0.206 seconds, clocking the fastest lap at 1:30.374 in the newly introduced W15 car of the once-dominant team.
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Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished third, followed by Carlos Sainz for Ferrari in fourth, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in fifth.
“It’s a shock to see us where we are but we will take it for now, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves,” said Hamilton.
“We need to keep our heads down, keep working on the set-up and try and extract more.”
Heading into this week, Red Bull, the current world champions and the widely acknowledged frontrunners of the preseason, found themselves trailing behind their main competitors in terms of outright speed, with Verstappen almost half a second slower than Hamilton’s leading time.
However, the full capabilities of the RB20 are yet to be unveiled, and its true performance will only be definitively known during the first qualifying session of 2024, scheduled for 4 pm on Friday.
The specific fuel loads and configurations used during practice sessions, as well as in the previous week’s testing, remain undisclosed. It’s plausible that Red Bull has been employing a more cautious approach with their settings to conceal the car’s actual performance capabilities.
Regardless of Red Bull’s strategic reservations, Mercedes seems to be in a much better position at the start of this season than in the previous two years under the current set of regulations.
The British duo driving for Mercedes have praised the W15, finding it significantly more agreeable to handle than its predecessors from 2022 and 2023. The team is optimistic that this model will serve as a more effective development platform throughout the 24-race season.
Verstappen, who effortlessly won last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, setting the stage for the most dominant title win in F1 history, commented: “It was not too bad. It’s just very close. Maybe some people around us already turned their engine a bit in terms of top speed.
“We just focus on ourselves. There were a few little balance issues from front to rear but nothing big, it’s just about trying to find that sweet spot.”
Second Practice Results
2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, 29 February 2024
| Pos. | Driver | Number | Team | Fastest Lap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 44 | Mercedes | 1:30.374 | 25 |
| 2 | George Russell | 63 | Mercedes | 1:30.580 | 23 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | 14 | Aston Martin | 1:30.660 | 22 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | 55 | Ferrari | 1:30.769 | 25 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | 81 | McLaren | 1:30.784 | 27 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 1 | Red Bull | 1:30.851 | 25 |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | 27 | Haas | 1:30.884 | 23 |
| 8 | Lance Stroll | 18 | Aston Martin | 1:30.891 | 26 |
| 9 | Charles Leclerc | 16 | Ferrari | 1:31.113 | 26 |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | 11 | Red Bull | 1:31.115 | 26 |
| 11 | Alexander Albon | 23 | Williams | 1:31.333 | 26 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | 3 | RB | 1:31.516 | 26 |
| 13 | Logan Sargeant | 2 | Williams | 1:31.715 | 27 |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | 20 | Haas | 1:31.764 | 27 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | 22 | RB | 1:31.881 | 29 |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | 10 | Alpine | 1:31.951 | 25 |
| 17 | Valtteri Bottas | 77 | Sauber | 1:32.001 | 24 |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | 31 | Alpine | 1:32.027 | 25 |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | 24 | Sauber | 1:32.048 | 28 |
| 20 | Lando Norris | 4 | McLaren | 1:32.608 | 25 |
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