Sainz fastest after second day of F1 pre-season testing 2025

Williams’ Carlos Sainz was the fastest man of the second day in Bahrain as Formula 1 continued pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, beating both Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. 

Feature image credit: CC

In between the transition from sunset to nightfall, the second day of F1 testing continued, and no one could touch Sainz’s overall best time of 1:29.348.

Unlike the afternoon session on Wednesday, where there were no circuit-wide problems, meaning the PM session went off without a hitch. The only affecting factor was the weather as the rain continued to fall at the start. 

Hamilton had previously set the fastest lap of the session, having completed this during the morning, but Sainz soon took over as the fastest driver of the day in the afternoon session. 

As Sainz and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson had completed full-day sessions, it meant that Alexander Albon and Max Verstappen, respectively, missed out on Thursday’s action. 

Day 2 ✅

Here’s how things stand at the end of another day of #F1Testing 💪#F1 pic.twitter.com/BntrAhWKfF

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 27, 2025

Afternoon runners

McLaren – Lando Norris

Ferrari – Charles Leclerc 

Red Bull – Liam Lawson

Mercedes – Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Aston Martin – Lance Stroll

Alpine – Jack Doohan

Haas – Oliver Bearman

Racing Bulls – Isack Hadjar 

Williams – Carlos Sainz

Sauber – Gabriel Bortoleto 

At the end of the second day of testing, Sainz was the fastest man out on track, with Ferrari completing the top three with Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc, respectively. 

The Williams driver was also the first driver to breach over 100 laps in a single day, thanks to his full-day stint with a total of 126 laps completed. This was 35 more than Lawson, on another full-day stint, who only completed 91 laps over both sessions.  

Antonelli and Stroll rounded out the top five, in fourth and fifth, as Lawson and Doohan completed the day in seventh and eighth. 

Hadjar held onto the 10th fastest lap time, 1.3 seconds off Sainz’s best time ahead of Day 1’s fastest man, Norris. Bortoleto and Bearman completed the afternoon runners in 15th and 20th.

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Sainz currently fastest on day 2 afternoon in F1 2025 testing
• Hamilton fastest after morning session on day 2 of F1 testing 2025
• Hamilton currently fastest in day 2 of F1 2025 testing
• Who’s driving in Day 2 of F1 pre-season testing?
• Norris fastest in Day 1 of F1 pre-season testing after power failure
• FIA confirm mandatory two-stop F1 Monaco GP

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon or our website!

Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.