Hamilton tops practice times again!

Lewis Hamilton continued to shine brightest today on the opening day of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2020, after setting the fastest time in F1’s second 90-minute practice, held under the bright lights of Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).

It was an eventful practice that saw a crash midway through the session involving Red Bull Racing’s Alexander Albon, bringing out the red flag.

After the resumption of action, Hamilton took the place of Max Verstappen at the top of the timesheet, clocking a best lap of 1min 28.971secs.

Verstappen had to settle for the second-quickest mark 0.347 seconds slower in his Red Bull, while Valtteri Bottas in the other Mercedes was third-fastest 0.365 behind his teammate.

Verstappen was leading when the practice was suspended following Albon’s crash. Albon lost control of his car on the last corner, spun and hit the barrier, causing significant damage to his car. He was able to step out of the cockpit without assistance and was taken for some medical checks.

Rounding out the top eight in F1’s FP2 were Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris ad Lance Stroll.

A third F1 practice will take place tomorrow over 60 minutes at 2pm, to be followed by qualifying at 5pm.