

The floodlights blazed over the Bahrain International Circuit, painting the desert landscape in an artificial glow as Formula 1's second practice session for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix got underway. After a sun-baked FP1 session topped by Lando Norris, all eyes were on FP2 – the only practice session run in conditions truly representative of both Qualifying and the Grand Prix itself. What unfolded over the next 60 minutes sent a clear, and perhaps worrying, signal through the paddock: McLaren is blisteringly quick.
Oscar Piastri, often known for building momentum through a weekend, hit the ground running under the lights, setting a scorching pace to lead a commanding McLaren 1-2, leaving their rivals trailing by significant margins.
While Norris set the pace in the less representative FP1, it was his Australian teammate who stole the show in the evening session. As teams bolted on the soft C3 compound tyres for their qualifying simulation runs, the timing screens lit up papaya.
Norris initially threw down the gauntlet, posting a time a staggering 0.671s clear of Max Verstappen's early benchmark. But just moments later, Piastri crossed the line, going purple in the first sector and ultimately eclipsing his teammate by 0.154s with a stunning 1:30.505.
The truly eye-opening aspect wasn't just the 1-2, but the gaps. Piastri finished the session a full half-second clear of the nearest non-McLaren challenger, George Russell in the Mercedes. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) matched Russell's gap, while Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was seven-tenths adrift, and reigning champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) found himself eight-tenths off the pace. Lewis Hamilton, in his first year with Ferrari, was over a second slower than the lead McLaren.
Are McLaren running lower fuel or higher engine modes? It's the question rivals will be desperately asking themselves. If this pace is genuine, the Woking squad has started the Bahrain weekend in truly formidable fashion. Piastri later switched to hard tyres for race simulation runs, gathering crucial data after his headline lap.
Mercedes endured a troubled FP1, with rookie Kimi Antonelli suffering a water pressure issue that severely limited his running. George Russell, having sat out FP1 for reserve driver Fred Vesti, had no laps under his belt heading into the crucial evening session.
They recovered well, with Russell slotting into P3 and Antonelli an impressive P4, sandwiching Leclerc. Russell even radioed in a slightly unusual request for a "spoiler" on his helmet to combat lift on the straights. Despite being 'best of the rest', the half-second deficit to McLaren highlights the challenge ahead for the Silver Arrows (or perhaps Teal Arrows, given their current livery). Antonelli's performance, despite the lost track time, continues to underline his potential.
Max Verstappen, also sitting out FP1, voiced early displeasure with his RB21, complaining over the radio about poor ride quality ("The ride is very bad") and brakes that "don't work" into the challenging final corner – a corner catching out multiple drivers. Although he briefly topped the timesheets early on his soft tyre run, he ultimately finished P6, eight-tenths behind Piastri. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda had a quiet session, languishing down in P18, nearly seven-tenths slower than Verstappen, raising questions about his comfort level in the car under these conditions.
Ferrari saw Charles Leclerc end the session P4 (after using a second set of softs, a potentially strategy-altering decision for later sessions) and Lewis Hamilton in P7. Hamilton, running a new floor upgrade designed to boost Ferrari's ground effect performance, initially ran wide on his first soft tyre flyer before setting his representative time. The transcript noted Ferrari's "quandary" – chasing race pace while potentially needing to consider the 2026 regulations, especially after costly disqualifications earlier in the season (implied China DSQs). The gap to McLaren suggests the new floor hasn't yet provided a silver bullet.
The battle behind the leading teams looks typically intense:
While it's only practice, McLaren's dominant FP2 performance cannot be ignored. The massive gap they established in representative conditions puts them firmly in the favourites' seat heading into Qualifying. Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes have significant work to do overnight to close that deficit. The midfield battle is incredibly tight, with Haas and Williams showing strong pace, and rookies Bearman and Hadjar impressing. Tyre degradation data gathered tonight will be crucial for strategists planning for Sunday's 57-lap Grand Prix.
Can anyone challenge McLaren tomorrow? Qualifying under the Bahrain lights promises to be a fascinating session.

He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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