FP2: Piastri leads Norris as McLaren dominate second practice in Bahrain

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets during Friday evening’s second practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading the way from team mate Lando Norris and Mercedes racer George Russell.

After a baking hot first hour of practice, FP2 served up more representative twilight conditions for teams and drivers – the sun setting and the floodlights switching on around the Sakhir venue, as they will ahead of Qualifying and the Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Norris sets the pace during first practice in Bahrain as six rookies join the action

It also involved all 20 full-time drivers, following a handful of ‘rookie’ appearances in FP1, with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Russell, Fernando Alonso, Ollie Bearman and Carlos Sainz returning to their respective cockpits.

Drivers were quick to head out on track and get a feel for grip levels when the green light switched on at the end of the pit lane, bringing a mixture of run plans with Pirelli’s soft, medium and hard compound tyres through the early stages.

It was a tricky start for reigning four-time World Champion Verstappen, who reported over the radio that his car was “jumping a lot” with a “very bad ride” – highlighted by a lock-up and trip to the run-off area at the tight Turn 10 left-hander.

Matters were worse for Alonso, who encountered a steering wheel problem only a couple of laps into his programme and crawled back to the pits, where Aston Martin mechanics surrounded the AMR25 and changed parts of its steering system.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from Bahrain as Norris tops FP1 from Gasly

Some 15 minutes into the session, Russell provisionally led the way with a time of 1m 31.945s on soft tyres, just ahead of former team mate Lewis Hamilton, new team mate Kimi Antonelli and the aforementioned Verstappen.

However, as the minutes ticked by and every driver completed a lap with the red-marked rubber, the McLarens impressively moved to the fore – Piastri pumping in a 1m 30.505s and Norris a 1m 30.659s to put the papaya cars around half a second clear of the field.

Russell grabbed the ‘best of the rest’ slot with his own improvement, 0.527s back, with Ferrari’s Leclerc taking fourth over Antonelli, high-flying Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar and Verstappen, who reported further issues relating to his brakes late on.

Hamilton wound up eighth in the sister Ferrari, as the team completed back-to-backs with their new floor design, followed by Haas youngster Bearman, the two Williams machines of Sainz and Alex Albon, and Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls car.

Gabriel Bortoleto found plenty of time on his soft-shod run to place 13th, from Alpine’s Jack Doohan, the compromised Alonso – who made it back out but finished with fewer than 20 laps – and the Haas of Esteban Ocon.

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix

Pierre Gasly put his Alpine 17th, in front of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, who continues to get to grips with the “science room” that is the RB21, while Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll and the Kick Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg completed the order.

Drivers and teams will now regroup in the paddock at the Bahrain International Circuit before returning to the track for Saturday’s final practice session, which is scheduled to get under way at 1530 local time.