Carlos Sainz set the fastest time in 2024 F1 pre-season testing for Ferrari and was the first to go under 1:30 behind the wheel of the SF-24 while Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton logged their first kilometers in pre-season testing today.
After Leclerc was fastest in the shortened morning session on day two with a time of 1:31.750 on C3 tyres, the action resumed an hour earlier than scheduled and lasted an hour longer, until 17:10.
The reason is the loss of about an hour and a half due to a problem with the drain cover in the approach to turn 11 which damaged the floor of the Ferrari SF-24.
Sainz took over the Ferrari car in the afternoon and soon began to lay down laps in the SF-24 on C3 tyres, and two hours into the afternoon session the Spaniard is clocking a 1:31.297 using C3 tyres.
The Ferrari driver soon switched to the C4 tyres (which will not be available on the first weekend of the season at this track where drivers will have C1, C2 and C3) and smashed his own time in the first attempt with a 1:30.686.
But Sainz didn’t stop there as he drove two more faster laps – first a 1:30.424 around 14:20 and then became the first driver to go under 1:30 with a 1:29.921 lap ten minutes later.
Sainz’s time is only two tenths slower than last year’s pole position time set by Verstappen (1:29.708) and four tenths faster than the fastest time in last year’s pre-season testing (Perez, 1:30.305).
Perez drove the Red Bull RB20 today that Verstappen drove all day yesterday, but he also had a few reliability issues that didn’t stop him from completing a high number of laps (130) and setting the second fastest time, 0.758 seconds slower than Sainz a step harder C3 tyres.
Hamilton took over the Mercedes F1 W15 from Russell who drove the entire first day and finished third fastest, but with a big 1.2s gap to the fastest Sainz.
Norris finished fourth for McLaren with a best time of 1:31.256 on C3 tyres ahead of Ricciardo in the RB who managed to beat Leclerc’s best time from the morning session.
The last day of pre-season testing is scheduled for tomorrow (08:00 – 12:00 and 13:00 – 17:00).
DAY 2 RESULTS
| 1 | Sainz | Ferrari | 1:29.921 | C4 | 84 | |
| 2 | Perez | Red Bull | 1:30.679 | 0.758 | C3 | 129 |
| 3 | Hamilton | Perez | 1:31.066 | 1.145 | C3 | 123 |
| 4 | Norris | McLaren | 1:31.256 | 1.335 | C3 | 52 |
| 5 | Ricciardo | RB | 1:31.161 | 1.240 | C4 | 88 |
| 6 | Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:31.750 | 1.829 | C3 | 54 |
| 7 | Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:32.029 | 2.108 | C3 | 96 |
| 8 | Ocon | Alpine | 1:32.061 | 2.140 | C3 | 78 |
| 9 | Bottas | Stake | 1:32.227 | 2.306 | C3 | 97 |
| 10 | Piastri | McLaren | 1:32.328 | 2.407 | C3 | 35 |
| 11 | Sargeant | Williams | 1:32.578 | 2.657 | C4 | 117 |
| 12 | Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:33.053 | 3.132 | C3 | 31 |
| 13 | Zhou | Stake | 1:33.715 | 3.794 | C3 | 38 |
| 14 | Gasly | Alpine | 1:33.804 | 3.883 | C3 | 33 |
| 15 | Magnussen | Haas | 1:36.611 | 6.690 | C3 | 93 |
| 16 | Hulkenberg | Haas | 1:37.509 | 7.588 | C3 | 31 |
| 17 | Tsunoda | RB | 1:38.074 | 8.153 | C2 | 40 |
