2022 Bahrain F1 test: Ocon tops second morning by 0.1s over Leclerc

In strong sunshine but with fierce winds blowing throughout the session, Lando Norris set the initial first place benchmark time when the running commenced at 10am local time – the Briton continuing behind the wheel for a second day at McLaren as team-mate Daniel Ricciardo continues to feel unwell.

Norris’s 1m38.593s was soon bettered by Ocon’s 1m36.472s – the Alpine, running its alternative pink livery for Friday’s action, fitted with the C3 medium tyres.

After backing off and cooling his tyres, Ocon went for a second flier a short while later but did not improve despite setting what were then fastest times in the first and third sectors.

Charles Leclerc then took over at the top of the times for Ferrari as the first of the session’s four hours drew to a close, as he went quickest on a 1m34.366s also on the C3s.

Half an hour later, Ocon, now running the C4 soft compound tyre, surged back ahead on a 1m34.276s, which stood as the fastest time to the end of the session.

Leclerc stayed second for Ferrari, with world champion Max Verstappen third for Red Bull ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel.

Norris’s best time ended up being a 1m36.354s he set on the prototype C2 tyres Pirelli is trialling at this event, which feature a blank sidewall.

That left him fifth in the standings ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda – who at one stage in early in the session’s second half used DRS to close in on and pass Verstappen as they ran down the main straight.

Valtteri Bottas was seventh for Alfa Romeo ahead of Haas driver Mick Schumacher, who made his first appearance of the test in the VF-22 an hour into the session.

George Russell began Mercedes’ day running a large aerodynamic-measuring rake just in front of the rear wheels on the