It was an interesting day in Bahrain during testing as Antonelli tops the timesheets. However, this was not the biggest talking point of the day as the Ferrari rear wing caught everyone’s attention.
Max pushing the limits from the start
As the lights went green, Oliver Bearman emerged from the pits followed by Max Verstappen and Gabriel Bortoleto. Max Verstappen was pushing the limits of the car from the start, running wide at turn 11.
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Ferrari’s rotating rear wing
However, this was not the most noted news from this morning. The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton looked quite different as it sped down the main straight. Infact, Ferrari’s rear wing flipped 180 degrees to reveal a wide gap.
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This gap allowed more air through the rear wing which in turn reduced drag. Why would you want to reduce drag you may ask? Well reducing drag allows cars to have a higher top speed and become more efficient. This is because there is less rear wing to resist the air, thus needing less power to push through the air. A fascinating new design from the Italian team.
Ferrari keeping their cards close to their chest
It wasn’t all good news for Ferrari this morning as Hamilton only completed 5 in the session. They switched back to their usual rear wing after a few laps with the rotating one.
The battle of the rakes
Another talking point of today was the rake height. Aston Martin, Williams and McLaren all opted for higher rake, similar to Adrian Newey’s Red Bull rake design. Red Bull and Ferrari both opted for low rake for the morning session.
Lando Norris tops the morning session times
It was a good session for Lando Norris as the McLaren driver topped the morning session with a 1.33.453, having completed 72 laps. Just behind him was Max Verstappen (+0.131) who completed 56 laps. George Russell rounded out the top 3 (+0.658) and completed the most laps of the morning session with 77 laps on the board.
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Green light for the afternoon session
Hamilton was first to emerge from the pits in the afternoon session. It was a tricky start to the session for Oscar Piastri who was fighting to control his McLaren, having to bail off into the run off area at turn 12.
Another day to forget for Aston Martin
Aston Martin’s testing has gone from bad to worse after the car stopped on track resulting in a red flag. The Aston Martin has face many challenges during week and this stoppage was the result of an engine issue.
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Positive day for Alpine
Alpine will be happy with today’s running overall. Franco Colapinto finished the day just behind Lando Norris in 6th. Colapinto had a relatively trouble free day with the second highest number of laps at 120.
It’s lights out and away….. almost
The end of the session saw the usual practice start for a grand prix (arguably the most exciting part of practice sessions). Ferrari fans will be delighted with todays practice start as Lewis Hamilton emerged from turn 1 as the leading car having started in 4th. There is definitely potential in the Ferrari.
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Antonelli tops the Timesheets
You know Mercedes are happy with their car when they are able to complete 7 pit stops in a session on day 2 of testing. Kimi Antonelli also proved their car is looking good by putting in a 1.32.803 lap time to go fastest of the day. Mercedes will be happy with their pace but their customer team McLaren finished right behind them.
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