Fernando Alonso clocked the fastest time during second practice for Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix as Aston Martin displayed strong pace.
Aston Martin caught the eye in pre-season testing, with several rivals impressed by the speed and compliance of the AMR23, suggesting the team has vaulted up the order.
During the representative evening FP2 at the Bahrain International Circuit Alonso clocked a time of 1:30.907s when drivers completed runs on Soft tyres.
READ MORE: F1 2023 Bahrain GP – FP2 Results
Alonso’s time left him 0.169s clear of reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.
Verstappen complained earlier in the session that “the car is jumping around a lot more than testing”, while Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was third overall.
Charles Leclerc, last year’s Bahrain GP polesitter and winner, was fourth. Leclerc’s best effort left him 0.460s behind Alonso.
Nico Hülkenberg was an impressive fifth on his return to Formula 1 with Haas, within half a second of Alonso.
Lance Stroll returned to action on Friday after missing testing due to a wrist injury and finished sixth overall, ahead of lead Alpine driver Pierre Gasly.
Stroll struggled with his wrist during the closing stages of the session as he was unable to adhere to a suggestion to alter his line through Turns 1/2. He was also shown clenching his hands along the pit straight.
Mercedes had a low-key time on Soft tyre runs as Lewis Hamilton wound up eighth while George Russell was five positions further back.
Lando Norris was ninth for McLaren as Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu rounded out the top 10.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas were next up, followed by Russell, with the leading 13 drivers all within a second of Alonso’s benchmark.
Carlos Sainz completed his qualifying simulation earlier than most rivals and was a low-key 14th, ahead of McLaren debutant Oscar Piastri.
Piastri had to take evasive action against a slow-moving Stroll early in the session before locking up heavily into Turn 1 on a subsequent push lap.
Kevin Magnussen was unable to replicate the pace of team-mate Hülkenberg and classified a subdued 16th, while last year’s stragglers Williams and AlphaTauri brought up the rear.
Alex Albon fronted Yuki Tsunoda, with their respective team-mates Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant at the back, though within 1.9s of Alonso’s headline effort.
Saturday’s third practice session is scheduled for 14:30 local time
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