Ferrari's Leclerc Goes Quickest In Second Practice At Sepang, Hadjar And Norris Follow

errari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. His 1:37.528 stood unbeaten until the end of the session. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar was second, 0.099 seconds back, with McLaren's Lando Norris third. Max Verstappen finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth.

The session began under dark clouds, with a 90 per cent chance of rain forecast, so all 22 drivers headed out as soon as the pit lane opened. Most started on mediums, while both McLaren and Cadillac drivers and Gasly chose softs. Verstappen set an early benchmark of 1:37.785, though he complained about his seating position and Hadjar reported oscillations on his car.

Midway through, the Mercedes drivers switched to softs. Antonelli had a lap deleted for track limits, and Russell abandoned his lap in the final sector. Bortoleto also had to take avoiding action when he came across a slower Hamilton on the racing line, reacting angrily on the radio. The stewards noted the incident, and Hamilton will be investigated after the session.

With two minutes left, Bortoleto stopped at the side of the track, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car. Verstappen spent the closing stages in the garage and never ran the soft tyre. Third practice is on Saturday at 12:30 local time, with qualifying at 16:00.