The second day of the pre-season test in Bahrain came to an end, Lewis Hamilton ended the day as the 15th fastest car on the track.
Mercedes had a poor start in the 2021 season, and the results were not even close to the predictions. Hamilton also had a bad day on the first test, with sandstorms making the conditions difficult for driving. He ranked tenth on the timesheet of day one, with just 42 laps. After the first day test, he mentioned difficulties with the reliability and the handling of the new W12. The Briton is positive about the matter and focusing on his future performance.
He said, “We have to take positives out of every day, but of course we’ve all got our heads down; I don’t think anyone’s down about today.”
Lewis Hamilton is going down in the pre-season tests’ timesheet
Hamilton was expected to do better on the second day, but his results dropped even below that of the previous day. The seven-time world champion ranked eighth in the first half and concluded his day in the second-last position. He was again facing troubles because of the skittish track, ended up sticking in the Turn 13 gravel.
The Briton said, “[The track was] very gusty, as I found out into Turn 13, so the rear doesn’t feel particularly great with this new regulation change,”
“But we’re trying to find the sweet spot.”
Lewis Hamilton stuck in the Turn 13 gravel in the 2021 Bahrain test on the second day.
The chief engineer Andrew Shovlin also commented about the terrible start and will work on their German machinery. He said, “We’re quite a way behind on our test programme and need to find a bit of balance and speed but we have two days left and every opportunity to recover the situation.“
The German constructor faced more trouble with their other driver- Valtteri Bottas, with a gearbox malfunction, only drove for six laps and finished last in Day 1. Team principal Toto Wolff also talked regarding the issue.
“It wasn’t a good start because we had a gearbox issue that came out of nowhere that we haven’t yet been able to identify and understand,” said Wolff.
However, Finn’s performance on the second day was completely contrary to his first day’s performance. He was the fastest car on the second pre-season test with 58 laps.
The Billion-Dollar Man only signed a single-year contract with Mercedes, with many speculating this is his last season. The 36-year-old will hang up his helmet if he wins the eighth World Championship this season. Subsequently, the Brit needs to pull up his socks for the third day of the tests and the races of the 2021 season.
The 2021 season of Formula One will begin on Sunday, March 28 in the Bahrain circuit and followed by the Grand Prix in Italy on April 18.
DAY 2 CLASSIFICATION @ValtteriBottas was quickest for the second day of our @Aramco Pre-Season test in Bahrain 🇧🇭#F1 #F1Testing @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/uwX5gLrLkW
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 13, 2021
FINAL CLASSIFICATION
More than 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ laps on the board on day one 💪#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/GB3dG6kd0S
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 12, 2021
Read more
