On Sunday evening, when it was already dark, the first session of the three-day Formula 2 winter test took place at the Bahrain circuit and MP Motorsport driver Dennis Hauger showed the best time.
Although it is now crucial for the teams and drivers to get to know the new generation of 2004 Dallara F2 cars better, work on the track was somewhat limited due to the condition of the surface, which was wet after unexpected rainfall.
The first cars entered the track when over half an hour had passed since the start of the session, but returned straight to the pits. The first person to move around at a more or less fighting pace was Hauger, and this was around the 40th minute of the session.
He gradually accelerated, his time at this stage of the session being 1:54.615, and he was soon joined by Prema Racing debutant Andrea Chimi Antonelli, but his times were around a second slower.
By the end of the first hour, only six riders had completed laps at relatively normal speed, with Antonelli remaining in the top three for a long time, and only then was he pushed back to fourth.
During the second hour, Victor Martin reminded himself: the French racer ART, considered one of the favorites of the season, was at the top of the protocol, but Hauger returned to first place with a result of 1:53.175, and no one could beat this. time.
Results of the first day of testing
| Pilot | Team | Time | Difference | Circles |
| 1. D. Hauger | MP Motorsport | 1:53.175 | – | 17 |
| 2. Z. Maloney | Rodin Motorsport | 1:53,351 | +0.176 | 15 |
| 3. V. Marten | ART Grand Prix | 1:53,367 | +0.192 | 13 |
| 4. A. Antonelli | Prema | 1:53,511 | +0.336 | 24 |
| 5. D.Crawford | CHECKERS | 1:53.865 | +0.690 | 14 |
| 6. Z. O’Sullivan | ART Grand Prix | 1:53.907 | +0.732 | 17 |
| 7. JM Correa | CHECKERS | 1:54.015 | +0.840 | 14 |
| 8. R.Miata | Rodin Motorsport | 1:54,185 | +1,010 | 17 |
| 9. O. Berman | Prema | 1:54,443 | +1,268 | 10 |
| 10. F. Colapinto | MP Motorsport | 1:54,534 | +1,359 | 14 |
| 11. P. Aron | Hitech GP | 1:54,535 | +1,360 | 07 |
| 12. E. Fittipaldi | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:54,591 | +1,416 | 12 |
| 13. A.Hajar | Campos Racing | 1:54,650 | +1,475 | 18 |
| 14. R. Fershor | Trident | 1:54,680 | +1,505 | 17 |
| 15. T. Barnard | PHM Racing | 1:54,707 | +1,532 | 12 |
| 16. R. Villagomez | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:54,832 | +1,657 | 18 |
| 17. R. Stanek | Trident | 1:55.313 | +2,138 | eleven |
| 18. A. Kordil | Hitech GP | 1:55,844 | +2,669 | 09 |
| 19. D. Durksen | PHM Racing | 1:56,277 | +3,102 | 19 |
| 20. H. Marty | Campos Racing | 1:56,827 | +3,652 | 05 |
| 21. G. Bortoleto | Virtuoso racing | 1:58,760 | +5,585 | 04 |
| 22. K. Maini | Virtuoso racing | 8:14.879 | +6:21.704 | 12 |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
