Fernando Alonso steals the show in second practice session in Bahrain

Fernando Alonso set the pace in the second practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Alonso's lap time was 0.169 seconds faster than Max Verstappen, who had reported handling issues with his Red Bull car.

Fernando Alonso steals the show in second practice session in Bahrain
Fernando Alonso in FP2 in Bahrain. Credit: Aston Martin F1 

Fernando Alonso's impressive performance in the second practice session of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, suggests he could be a contender this weekend.  

The Aston Martin driver completed a four-lap run on the soft tyres midway through the session to go fastest from Verstappen by 0.169s.

But it wasn't just Alonso who impressed, as Nico Hulkenberg made a surprise appearance in the top five for Haas, matching the best lap from Charles Leclerc ahead of Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly.

Meanwhile, Mercedes struggled during the qualifying runs, with Lewis Hamilton only managing to secure the eighth fastest time, and George Russell falling outside the top 10 in 13th.

Russell appeared to struggle with the balance of the Mercedes through Turn 7, running wide on his Soft tyre runs which caused a moment for the Briton.

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix FP2 Results

PositionDriverTeamTimeGapLaps
1Fernando AlonsoAston Martin1:30.907
2Max VerstappenRed Bull1:31.0760.16924
3Sergio PerezRed Bull1:31.0780.17126
4Charles LeclercFerrari1:31.3670.4626
5Nico HulkenbergHaas1:31.3760.46925
6Lance StrollAston Martin1:31.4500.54328
7Pierre GaslyAlpine1:31.4750.56824
8Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:31.5430.63627
9Lando NorrisMcLaren1:31.5700.66327
10Guanyu ZhouAlfa Romeo1:31.5860.67927
11Esteban OconAlpine1:31.6080.70125
12Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo1:31.7930.88628
13George RussellMercedes1:31.8820.97525
14Carlos Sainz JrFerrari1:31.9561.04928
15Oscar PiastriMcLaren1:32.0241.11727
16Kevin MagnussenHaas1:32.1101.20318
17Alex AlbonWilliams1:43.4401.53328
18Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri1:32.5251.61827
19Nyck de VriesAlphaTauri1:32.6051.69828
20Logan SargeantWilliams1:32.7491.84229
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