FP2: Leclerc tops second practice from Hadjar and Norris at Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

Charles Leclerc ended second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on top, the Ferrari racer going fastest from Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris.

After familiarising themselves with the Sepang International Circuit earlier on Friday during a dry and sunny opening practice hour, the drivers were faced with potentially more uncertain conditions entering into FP2 as dark clouds lingered over the track.

Most of the field appeared keen to get some early mileage on the board amid a 90 per cent chance of rain during the session, leading to a queue of cars filing out of the pit lane when the green light appeared at 1600 local time.

Pierre Gasly’s race engineer voiced concern over the potential impact of the forecasted shower, as all 22 drivers headed out. Most had opted for the medium tyres, while five drivers – that being the McLaren and Cadillac pairs as well as Gasly – were running the soft compound.

Max Verstappen continued his pace-setting form from FP1 by setting an early benchmark in the second hour, the four-time World Champion leading the way on a 1m 37.785s to go two tenths clear of George Russell.

In the other Red Bull, Hadjar reported oscillations on the RB22, while things were not entirely smooth for Verstappen either as the Dutchman radioed in about issues with his seating position.

Around 15 minutes in, a number of drivers – including the Mercedes duo – swapped to the soft tyres in order to complete their fast laps amid the continued threat of rain. While Kimi Antonelli’s effort was deleted after exceeding track limits, Russell aborted his lap in the final sector – leaving the pair in fourth and second respectively.

There was a close moment between Gabriel Bortoleto and Lewis Hamilton, with Bortoleto having to take avoiding action after encountering the slower-moving Ferrari on the racing line. The incident – which sparked an irate response from Bortoleto over the radio – was noted by the stewards, while Hamilton went on to report that he could not “see through my right mirror”.

With the skies appearing to clear again as the session reached its halfway point, Leclerc sat at the top of the timesheets on a 1m 37.528s, putting the Monegasque 0.137s clear of Norris in the McLaren. Verstappen remained in third, before team mate Hadjar changed the order by slotting into P2.

As FP2 moved into its final third, Verstappen and Franco Colapinto remained the only drivers yet to use the soft tyres. Meanwhile Bortoleto asked the Audi team to check the floor of his car after running wide during a battle with Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad, a fight that continued over several laps.

While Colapinto made a late switch to the soft tyres, Verstappen remained on the medium compound as the teams looked to complete their Friday programmes, with many focused on long runs during the closing stages.

The yellow flags were thrown with two minutes to spare when Bortoleto came to a halt at the side of the track, the Brazilian stepping out of his stricken car as a Virtual Safety Car was subsequently deployed.

As the chequered flag fell, Leclerc’s earlier effort ultimately remained unbeaten in P1. Hadjar proved to be the closest challenger on a lap just under one tenth adrift, with Norris following in third while Verstappen – who stayed in the garage during the final stages, meaning that he did not run the soft tyre – was fourth.

Hamilton placed in fifth ahead of an investigation into his alleged impeding incident with Bortoleto after the session, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Russell, Antonelli, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Gasly completed the top 10.

Lindblad claimed P11 from Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Esteban Ocon (Haas), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Ollie Bearman (Haas), Carlos Sainz (Williams), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), Alex Albon (Williams), Sergio Perez (Cadillac) and Colapinto.

With the first day of track action now complete, the drivers and teams will have the opportunity to review their data before returning for Free Practice 3 on Saturday 1230 local time, ahead of Qualifying later in the day at 1600.