Kimi Antonelli dominated Day 2 of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain, finishing ahead of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver's 1m 32.803s lap time was the fastest of the day, surpassing Lando Norris' earlier lead of 1m 33.453s. Lewis Hamilton, eager to maximize track time, was the first to take to the circuit, completing five laps early in the day's second segment. As the session progressed, drivers like Piastri, Antonelli, and Haas' Ollie Bearman took turns in the afternoon, with Verstappen briefly topping the timesheets. However, Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin brought out the red flags, halting proceedings. With three hours remaining, teams and drivers resumed, adding laps. As conditions worsened, Hamilton and Alpine's Franco Colapinto experienced lock-ups. Williams' Alex Albon and Sergio Perez switched to soft tyres, adjusting their strategies. The leaderboard fluctuated, with Piastri and Antonelli trading positions. Antonelli's dominance persisted, ending the day with the fastest time. The session concluded with a practice new race start procedure, though Piastri faced issues, pulling over before restarting. Antonelli's 1m 32.803s lap remained unmatched, with Piastri second and Verstappen third. Hamilton, Norris, and Colapinto followed, while Albon, Bearman, Perez, and Alonso completed the top 10. Bottas was the final classified driver, with six drivers not participating in the session. With one day of testing remaining, teams and drivers prepare for the final pre-season run before the Australian Grand Prix.
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