F1 preseason testing: Results, schedule, fastest lap times as Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu goes quickest on day two
There was a surprise on the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain as Alfa Romeo and Zhou Guanyu set the fastest lap ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Chinese driver set an unbeaten time of 1’31.610 as he exercised the lead over Aston Martin’s Verstappen and Fernando Alonso on track – although again today not too much can be gleaned from the order given the teams’ ongoing aerodynamic tests.
Elsewhere Mercedes grabbed the headlines but not in the way they would have liked as George Russell’s car suffered hydraulic failure en route. That limited the Brit to just 26 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, putting pressure on Team Principal Toto Wolff and his staff for Saturday’s third day of testing.
For all lap times during pre-season testing in Bahrain, The sports news had everything covered.
MORE: F1 season 2023: Predictions, odds, betting tips and best bets for the new Formula 1 campaign
Who was fastest on day one of F1 pre-season testing?
session one
While the first pre-season testing session of the year proved uneventful, there was an early setback for Aston Martin, which is primed to challenge for P4 in the constructors’ standings in 2023.
With just five minutes on the clock, Felipe Drugovich – who is testing for the British team this week after contract driver Lance Stroll was injured in a cycling accident – forced his car to the side of the track with a malfunction. That brought the red flag but the car was quickly cleared by the marshals and the Brazilian rookie rejoined the track shortly afterwards.
The first session was also the first time we saw the new F1 cars on track together, revealing some big differences in the way the teams have designed their 2023 rivals, as below with Ferrari and Mercedes you can see.
session two
The times below represent each driver’s fastest laps in both pre-season test sessions on Thursday 23rd February.
| driver | team | time (gap to lead) | Round |
| Max Verstappen | red bull | 1:32.837 | 157 |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston-Martin | 1:32.886 (+0.029) | 60 |
| Carlo Sainz | Ferrari | 1:33.253 (+0.416) | 72 |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:33.267 (+0.430) | 64 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:33.462 (+0.625) | 40 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33.508 (+0.671) | 83 |
| Alex Albon | Williams | 1:33.671 (+0.834) | 74 |
| Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:33.723 (+0.886) | 67 |
| George Russell | Mercedes | 1:34,174 (+1,337) | 69 |
| Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:34,324 (+1,487) | 75 |
| Nico Hulkenburg | haas | 1:34,424 (+1,587) | 51 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:34,558 (+1,721) | 71 |
| Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri | 1:34,559 (+1,722) | 85 |
| Felipe Drugovich | Aston-Martin | 1:34,564 (+1,727) | 40 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:34,671 (+1,834) | 46 |
| Pierre Gasli | alpine | 1:34,822 (+1,985) | 60 |
| Esteban Ocon | alpine | 1:34,871 (+2,034) | 53 |
| Oskar Piastri | McLaren | 1:34,888 (+2,051) | 52 |
| Kevin Magussen | haas | 1:35,087 (+2,250) | 57 |
Veteran Spaniard Alonso stole the show during the second session of pre-season testing on day one.
The new Aston Martin driver finished just 0.28s off the lead on opening day while also setting the fastest split time of any driver in the third sector of the Bahrain International Circuit.
Who was fastest on day two of F1 pre-season testing?
session one
After Verstappen led the timesheets for Red Bull on day one, Ferrari looked back in session one on day two of testing, with Carlos Sainz setting the fastest time.
He was closely followed by American rookie Logan Sargeant, who had impressed all preseason so far, and Alonso, who once again finished the session at the top of the standings.
session two
The times below represent each driver’s fastest laps in both pre-season test sessions on Friday 24th February.
| driver | team | time (gap to lead) | Round |
| Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:31.610 | 133 |
| Max Verstappen | red bull | 1:31.650 (+0.040) | 47 |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston-Martin | 1:32.205 (+0.595) | 130 |
| Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri | 1:32.222 (+0.612) | 74 |
| Nico Hulkenburg | haas | 1:32.466 (+0.856) | 68 |
| Carlo Sainz | Ferrari | 1:32.486 (+0.876) | 70 |
| Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:32.666 (+0.939) | 154 |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:32,725 (+1,115) | 68 |
| Oskar Piastri | McLaren | 1:33,175 (+1,565) | 74 |
| Pierre Gasli | alpine | 1:33,186 (+1,576) | 59 |
| Kevin Magussen | haas | 1:33,442 (+1,832) | 67 |
| Esteban Ocon | alpine | 1:33,490 (+1,880) | 49 |
| George Russell | Mercedes | 1:33,654 (+2,044) | 26 |
| Sergio Perez | red bull | 1:33,751 (+2,141) | 76 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33,954 (+2,344) | 72 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35,522 (+3,912) | 65 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:37,687 (+4,098) | 85 |
The main talking point of Friday’s second session of pre-season testing was mechanical problems at Mercedes, as Russell was forced to pull his stricken car to the side of the track.
The Briton had to take several corners in fourth gear before his car gave up with hydraulic failure, which brought the red flag.
Elsewhere, Sargeant’s Williams car and Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo both suffered penalties late in the session, although the latter finished as the fastest lap-setter on day two in Bahrain.
What is the schedule for pre-season testing in Formula 1?
Here are all the scheduled session times for F1 pre-season testing in 2023, which runs from Thursday to Saturday.
Thursday 23 February
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| session one | 06:50 – 11:00 GMT | 1:50am – 6:00am ET | 1:50am – 6:00am ET | 7:50pm – 12:00am AEDT |
| session two | 11:50 – 16:30 GMT | 6:50am – 11:30am ET | 6:50am – 11:30am ET | Friday 00:50 – 05:30 AEDT |
Friday February 24th
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| session one | 06:50 – 11:00 GMT | 1:50am – 6:00am ET | 1:50am – 6:00am ET | 7:50pm – 12:00am AEDT |
| session two | 11:50 – 16:30 GMT | 6:50am – 11:30am ET | 6:50am – 11:30am ET | Saturday 00:50 – 05:30 AEDT |
Saturday February 25th
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| session one | 06:50 – 11:00 GMT | 6:50am – 11:30am ET | 6:50am – 11:30am ET | 7:50pm – 12:00am AEDT |
| session two | 11:50 – 16:30 GMT | 6:50am – 11:30am ET | 6:50am – 11:30am ET | Sunday 00:50 – 05:30 AEDT |