Piastri tops FP2 as McLaren dominates Bahrain night session

Oscar Piastri led a commanding McLaren 1-2 in the second practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, delivering an ominous warning to their rivals as the floodlit night running provided conditions more representative of Sunday's race.

The Australian's qualifying simulation produced a benchmark time of 1m30.505s midway through the session, edging teammate Lando Norris by 0.154 seconds.

Their pace proved untouchable, with Mercedes' George Russell settling for third place over half a second adrift.

McLaren's formidable pace

After the sweltering afternoon session distorted the competitive picture, the cooler temperatures of the Arabian night revealed McLaren's true advantage.

Both Piastri and Norris demonstrated exceptional pace on the soft compound tires, with their papaya machines excelling particularly in the higher downforce sections of the Bahrain International Circuit.

World champion Max Verstappen made a brief appearance at the top of the timesheets before the McLaren drivers cycled through to the lead positions.

The Red Bull driver eventually finished seventh, though the team's usual practice of running lower engine modes on Fridays likely masks their true potential.

Mercedes shows promise

Russell's third-place finish represented a solid showing for Mercedes, with the car appearing particularly strong on the straights but unable to match McLaren in the twistier sections.

His teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the top five, sandwiched between the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in fourth.

Rest of the Field

Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar continued his positive momentum following his points finish in Japan by placing sixth, ahead of Verstappen and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

Haas driver Oliver Bearman and Williams' Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten.

Fernando Alonso provided an unusual moment of drama early in the session when he had to reattach his Aston Martin steering wheel mid-run before pitting for a replacement.

At Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda endured a challenging session in the second car, finishing down in 18th position, though this performance is likely not representative of the team's true pace.