Gasly set a time of 1:33.902, replacing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the top who went fastest in the first session.
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After going slowest in the first session of testing in Bahrain on Thursday, AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly redeemed himself by being the driver to set the fastest time on the day. The Frenchman had earlier stated that the 2023 season could be his last chance to race again with Red Bull and if he is out to impress his former employers, today’s performance certainly was up to the mark. Gasly set a time of 1:33.902, replacing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the top who went fastest in the first session. AlphaTauri did not send out Yuki Tsunoda on the day and Gasly did all the laps on the day, getting accustomed and improving his performance with the new car.
Despite not keeping their place at the top, Ferrari will not be disappointed. Both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz delivered exceptional performances as they completed the top three. Sainz finished with the second-fastest time of 1:34.359 while his teammate was only two-tenths of a second slower than him. It certainly seems like a promising 2022 for the Scuderia.
Read More – F1 Bahrain testing: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc goes fastest in first session
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll delivered a fine performance as well, finishing with the fourth-fastest time despite causing the first red flag of the day. His teammate Sebastian Vettel had finished third in the morning session, rounding off a good day for the UK-based constructor. Williams also have a lot to be proud of as Alex Albon finished fifth, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
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The day was not ideal, however, for Red Bull and Mercedes. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez was the only one on track for the team on the day and he could only go 10th fastest. The Mexican also caused a red flag when his car spun out of control in the second session.
Mercedes had both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell out on track but they could only finish in 11th and ninth respectively. Although it is just early days, the silver arrows will have things to work on to get the car in the best possible shape before the first race of the season. However given Mercedes’ record, one can safely assume that they will have one of the quickest cars on race day.
