Charles Leclerc finished the second free practice session in fourth place, half a second behind Piastri.
The Bahrain Grand Prix offered, in the first two free practice sessions, a scenario very similar to what was seen during February testing. Despite the much higher temperatures, McLaren remained at the top, this time pulling ahead as early as Friday, with a gap of half a second over the first chaser, George Russell. In fourth place, the first of the two Ferraris was Charles Leclerc, who trailed Piastri’s best time by 540 thousandths.
The Monegasque driver, interviewed in the paddock, commented on the second free practice session as follows: “We found much higher temperatures compared to the tests we did here, so the feeling with the car was completely different, and we need to work on adapting the car to these conditions. We’ll work on that tonight and try to optimize the setup. “.
The gap between Ferrari and McLaren remains significant, but Charles seems to have found a driving style that can help close that gap with the two papaya cars. These were his comments: “I’m trying to push in a direction that allows me to get the most out of the car based on my driving style. Our rivals are clearly ahead at the moment, but I’m motivated to close that gap as soon as possible “.
Tomorrow’s qualifying will be crucial, and Ferrari may be able to find a few more tenths. Leclerc shared his thoughts: “We have to focus on maximizing the potential of our car. I think we can still find some performance before qualifying, and we’ll do everything we can to make the most of the upgrade we’ve brought. Let’s see where this work will take us tomorrow.”
