SAKHIR, Bahrain – After a subpar opening to the Formula One season in Australia, Ferrari fired back by pacing both practice sessions Friday at the Bahrain Int’l Circuit.
Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc put the Ferrari brand on top of the timesheets, with Vettel setting the fastest lap of the day in the second practice. Vettel’s best lap of 1:28.846 was .035 of a second better than Leclerc’s best lap in the second practice.
In contrast, Leclerc sped to the top of the timsheets in the opening practice with a 1:30.354 lap. Vettel was second fastest, .263 of a second off his teammate in the first practice.
Mercedes, which swept the top-two positions during the Australian Grand Prix a few weeks ago, were more than a half second off the pace set by the Ferrari duo in the second practice session.
Lewis Hamilton was third fastest, .603 of a second behind Vettel’s best lap time. Australian Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas was fourth, .711 off Vettel’s pace. Nico Hulkenberg impressed for Renault by going fifth fastest overall.