Ferrari post fastest free practice times in Bahrain, but both drivers also break down - Teams struggle for performance in Sakhir
Published by Christine
First practice at the Sakhir circuit was completed in super hot conditions, so teams weren’t gathering particularly relevant data for the rest of the weekend. Mercedes were running longer and heavier, so finished middle of the timesheets, whilst it was Ferrari on top. Sebastian Vettel went fastest, but Kimi Räikkönen broke down due to mechanical troubles. Stoffel Vandoorne also stopped out on track in his McLaren, whilst Felipe Massa had something of a spin but finished in the top five anyway.
In the second session, Ferrari continued their performance – they finished fastest with Sebastian Vettel again, but they also had a breakdown with Vettel stopping just short of the pit entrance. The mechanics had to dash down the pitlane to recover the car. Räikkönen was fourth, with one Mercedes and one Red Bull splitting the two Ferraris.
Meanwhile, it was also a repetitive situation for Vandoorne, who stopped on track. Carlos Sainz also stopped, his Toro Rosso failing to complete the full session.
