Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso ended the second Free Practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in second and fifth places respectively. Lewis set a time of 1:33.540 whilst Fernando did 1:33.784. The first 13 drivers were all within a little more than a second. In the morning session, Lewis ended up third with 1:34.110 and Fernando was fourth with 1:34.161. Lewis completed a total of 50 laps during both sessions whilst Fernando did 45 laps.

Fast Facts

Does the sand in the desert cause any special concerns?
There was a lot of dirt and sand on the circuit during this morning’s practice. Consequently the track conditions are constantly evolving and will continue to do so during the weekend with all the Formula 1 running and support races taking place

Since the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend has there been an opportunity to make any additional improvements to the MP4-22?
We have had a few revised parts coming from the McLaren Technology Centre which we will be using on the cars this weekend. However due to the limited time available the main focus in our development work is on the test in Barcelona at the end of the month.

What was the focus of today’s programme?
We conducted tyre evaluation and general set-up work. However the track conditions made things challenging.

Did the test at the Bahrain circuit prior to the Australian Grand Prix give any advantage?
The MP4-22 has evolved since the test and as a result there is no particular benefit which will allow us to minimise running before qualifying. In addition the track conditions are constantly changing so the team want as much running as possible.

Fernando Alonso: "Two trouble-free practice sessions where we made positive progress. The track was very dirty and continued to improve throughout the session. We spent our time perfecting the set-up and evaluating the tyres. I completed some long runs and all in all I think we are closer to the Ferraris than we have been so far this season on a Friday but it’s a long weekend so we will see what happens."

Lewis Hamilton: "It has been a positive session today. In the first practice the track was very dirty and slippery so there was no point spending too much time looking at the set-up. In the 2nd session we began our fine tuning and completed a couple of long runs. I think I was quicker and more consistent than previously in the long runs which is positive and there is definitely more to come. We now have quite a bit of data to look at but so far so good."

Ron Dennis: "A positive start with two trouble free sessions. We struggled slightly with the track conditions in the first session where it was extremely slippery, but managed to complete our programme. Our pace in the long runs is encouraging so we will see what the rest of the weekend brings."

Norbert Haug: "An interesting Friday practice which saw the top-five in the second session finish within a quarter of a second. Lewis and Fernando each completed 50 and 45 laps respectively."

To check out our Bahrain free practice gallery, click here