Leclerc quickest, then hits loose drain cover as session ends early · RaceFans

Charles Leclerc was quickest in an interrupted early session on day two of the pre-season test in Bahrain cut short by a loose drain cover.

The Ferrari driver was the only one to get within the 1’31s as the second day of running at the Bahrain International Circuit began.

However, the early session was ended early after a drain cover came loose on the approach to turn 11 and was struck by Leclerc and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Some of the lost time will recovered as the evening session has been extended by an hour. It will now begin at 2pm local time, when the early session was originally scheduled to finish.

After Max Verstappen and George Russell ran the entire first day on Wednesday, their respective team mates Sergio Perez and Hamilton took over today. Perez set the first time of the day with a 1’40.323 on the C2 compound, which was immediately beaten by Hamilton by more than a second.

Only the RB team did not venture out immediately as the session began. After covering fewer laps than any driver who participated in the opening day, Sargeant was eager to make up for time lost and he delivered the first significant time with a 1’33.561 on the C3 compound. Leclerc ‘s first push lap on the same tyre was a 1’31.822, faster than any driver from the first day besides pace setter Verstappen.

Perez’s early running was hampered by overheating brakes, where a reported brake fire resulted in him returning to the Red Bull garage for repairs. However, within half an hour, Perez was back out on track.

Leclerc improved his own best time to a 1’31.750, with Piastri getting closest to the Ferrari of the nine others. However, the majority of the field did not come close to their best times from the first day of running, indicating single-lap performance was not a priority for many.

Just after the mid point of the session, running was halted by a red flag due to a drain cover coming loose on the outside kerbing on the approach to turn 11. Leclerc initially appeared to dislodge the cover by taking a wide approach to turn 11, then Hamilton struck the debris before Leclerc came around again and did the same, triggering FIA race director Niels Wittich to suspend the session.

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Both Leclerc and Hamilton returned to the pits as their teams conducted checks and repairs on their cars as Wittich headed to the scene of the incident to conduct a track investigation. Almost 40 minutes later, the FIA announced that the…