F1 testing LIVE: Latest updates and lap times as Fernando Alonso’s Alpine grinds to halt causing red flags

LIVE – Updated at 09:42

Follow all the action from the final day of pre-season testing in Barcelona as Formula 1 continues to build towards the start of the 2022 season.

It was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who led on day two with a time of 1:19:689 in the post-lunch session, bettering his teammate Carlos Sainz who had set pace in the morning. There were encouraging signs again for McLaren too, with Daniel Ricciardo finishing in third after Lando Norris led the standings on Wednesday. There were few positives to reap for Lewis Hamilton, who finished bottom, although George Russell fared better in the Mercedes and ended the day in fourth. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s preparations were hampered by a gearbox issue, causing the morning session to be red-flagged.

Meanwhile, away from the track, F1 said it was “closely watching” the crisis in Ukraine, with widespread calls for the Russian GP to be axed from the schedule. Sebastian Vettel was clear that he would boycott the race if it does go ahead, with Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto revealing that teams met last night “to try to understand what the situation is and how to cope and how to manage it.”

Follow all the latest news, lap times and results from Barcelona below.

Lewis Hamilton’s accusations of possible bias among race stewards has provoked a quick response from the FIA.

The Mercedes man spoke on Wednesday about a lack of diversity in the stewards’ room, calling for more female representation among those in the hotseats, adding that it “would be awesome to have a male and female as the two race directors.”

“We need to make sure we’ve got non-biased stewards,” he said. “Race drivers, some are very, very good friends with certain individuals, some travel with some individuals, take