» Räikkönen quickest, escapes grid penalty

Kimi Räikkönen led a Ferrari 1-2 in second practice for the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix, although the Finn finds himself facing a grid penalty after being released from the pits with a loose wheel.

Third-fastest in the early running on Soft compound Pirelli tyres, the 2007 World Champion was the first to attempt a qualifying simulation on the Supersoft rubber and posted a rapid 1:29.817 time at his first attempt.

He then switched to higher-fuel runs to simulate race conditions and after completing an initial Supersoft stint he pitted and switched to Soft tyres. Unfortunately his front-right wheel was not securely attached and he pulled off track shortly after exiting the pits.

Unlike race conditions where such an incident attracts a fine for the team, the FIA Stewards can impose a grid penalty for cars released “in an unsafe condition” during practice or qualifying. A subsequent hearing saw the officials hit Ferrari with a €5,000 fine after the team demonstrated it had “ordered the car stopped immediately, and that the driver stopped as fast as he safely could.”

Räikkönen’s flying lap proved unbeatable, although teammate Sebastian Vettel narrowly missed out to the tune of just 0.011 seconds on his qualifying-style run.

The duo finished comfortably clear of the Mercedes. Valtteri Bottas finished third-fastest, over half a second slower, while teammate Lewis Hamilton was fourth-quickest.

The Briton should have been quicker, however, but was baulked at the final corner by Haas’ Kevin Magnussen on his final lap. It was something of an untidy session for the defending champion, who also drove into the asphalt run-off area at Turn 1 before rejoining the circuit.

Having missed out on any meaningful running in FP1 when his car came to a stop after just two laps, Max Verstappen set about making up for lost time and finished the session fifth-fastest. His time put him just six-thousandths of a second ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo, but after the Australian had been quickest in FP1 the team’s lack of improvement in cooler conditions is a potential cause for concern.

Behind the top three teams, Renault’s Nico Hülkenberg claimed ‘best of the rest’ honours, albeit with a time over 1.4 seconds slower than Räikkönen’s ultimate pace.

The German was challenged, surprisingly, by Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly, who repeated his impressive FP1 form. The Honda-powered STR13 was expected to go backwards as the weekend wore on, but the Frenchman’s fastest lap – just 0.012 seconds slower than Hülkenberg’s – was a highlight. The same could not be said of teammate Brendon Hartley, who finished FP2 slowest of all.

The McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne rounded out the top ten, edging out Haas’ Romain Grosjean and the second Renault of Carlos Sainz Jr., who complained about his RS18’s inconsistent handling.

Dustry track conditions again contributed to a few wild moments for runners lower down the field. After their respective teammates had spins in FP1, it was the turn of Sergey Sirotkin and Marcus Ericsson to repeat the dose in the evening.

Like his teammate Lance Stroll in FP1, Sirotkin dropped his Williams at Turn 9 and slide backwards at high speed into the gravel.

Ericsson’s off-track moment was rather more unusual given its location, spinning his Sauber into the gravel at Turn 2.

The final practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix takes place on Saturday at 15:00 local time (GMT +3).

FORMULA 1 2018 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE SESSION 2 TIMES
	Driver	Team / Entry	Time	Gap	Laps
1.	Kimi Räikkönen	Scuderia Ferrari SF71H	1:29.817		18
2.	Sebastian Vettel	Scuderia Ferrari SF71H	1:29.828	+ 0.011	17
3.	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport F1W09	1:30.380	+ 0.563	24
4.	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport F1W09	1:30.472	+ 0.655	21
5.	Max Verstappen	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer RB14	1:30.745	+ 0.928	2
6.	Daniel Ricciardo	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer RB14	1:30.751	+ 0.934	14
7.	Nico Hülkenberg	Renault Sport F1 Team RS18	1:31.220	+ 1.403	18
8.	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda STR13	1:31.232	+ 1.415	26
9.	Fernando Alonso	McLaren F1 Team Renault MCL33	1:31.282	+ 1.465	24
10.	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren F1 Team Renault MCL33	1:31.422	+ 1.605	25
11.	Romain Grosjean	Haas F1 Team Ferrari VF-18	1:31.591	+ 1.774	23
12.	Carlos Sainz Jr	Renault Sport F1 Team RS18	1:31.601	+ 1.784	21
13.	Esteban Ocon	Force India F1 Team Mercedes VJM11	1:31.809	+ 1.992	23
14.	Sergio Pérez	Force India F1 Team Mercedes VJM11	1:31.868	+ 2.051	26
15.	Kevin Magnussen	Haas F1 Team Ferrari VF-18	1:31.969	+ 2.152	19
16.	Charles Leclerc	Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team Ferrari C37	1:32.372	+ 2.555	20
17.	Lance Stroll	Williams Martini Racing Mercedes FW41	1:32.382	+ 2.565	22
18.	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams Martini Racing Mercedes FW41	1:32.474	+ 2.657	29
19.	Marcus Ericsson	Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team Ferrari C37	1:32.733	+ 2.916	22
20.	Brendon Hartley	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda STR13	1:32.908	+ 3.091	27