F1 Bahrain GP live commentary and updates - FP2

McLaren and Mercedes starting on the front foot in Bahrain, but have we seen the true pace of the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull? It is time to dig into the data to find out, but all answers will become clear in Bahrain GP qualifying which starts at 5pm BST tomorrow.

Russell and Verstappen getting their elbows out on the final lap before taking the chequered flag, as the British driver passes his rival through the Turns 5 and 6 switches. Why? Egos.

So, a McLaren 1-2 led by Piastri with Russell in third for Mercedes over half a second back. It reads well for the Woking-based team - unlike last Saturday's FA Trophy semi-final.

Tsunoda's one-lap pace showing today will be a worry for Red Bull, given he is 18th and eight-tenths of a second off Verstappen for comparison. On a similar note, Lawson is half a second slower than Hadjar at Racing Bulls.

Into the final few minutes of FP2 and we're deep into the long runs. A few lock ups, the latest is Stroll at Turn 10, but no major danger to speak of.

Alonso sneaks in a soft tyre push lap having lost all that time earlier with his broken steering. The Aston Martin driver goes 15th quickest - half a second quicker than team-mate Stroll for reference.

It is long run o'clock, but Leclerc has sneaked into the top four to split the two Mercedes drivers. Hadjar is sixth, a tenth ahead of Verstappen in seventh, which is very impressive in the Racing Bulls.

Alonso is back out on track and has a steering wheel that is attached to his car and is in fine working order. He's lost about half of the session though, so not good news for the Spaniard who also sat out FP1 with Drugovich on rookies practice outing duty in his car.

A handful of qualifying simulation runs are still to come in, but the order at the top looks set. Those are some statement laps by the McLaren pair. But you never truly know the order at this stage given corrections will be needed for fuel loads and engine modes.

The Aston Martin mechanics have replaced the entire steering column on Alonso's car so he is still out of action but should be able to rejoin the session shortly.

Piastri's McLaren sends up sparks from the floor as he dives into Turn 10 but with no grass to ignite in the desert, all is well. No Suzuka dramas here!

A few drivers locking up again, the latest is Norris at Turn 10 on his hard tyres, but beyond messing up his lap and getting his tyres dirty, no major harm done.

Russell, also on softs, goes third fastest and is 0.386s off Hamilton's leading effort. Elsewhere, Alonso's steering wheel has come off while still in his hands! You don't see that very often!

We're just missing Russell, who is celebrating five years as a Mercedes driver this weekend given his debut came at this track at the 2020 Sakhir GP when Hamilton was out with COVID-19. That race was held in December, but let's not split hairs.

That trio are joined by almost the entire pack - nobody wants to waste this hour given FP3 will be in hot, sunny conditions that will not be relevant for qualifying and the race this weekend. Lots of hard and medium tyres on show to start with, while Leclerc locks up into Turn 10.

Our usual scribe for this live coverage, Jake Boxall-Legge, is having two wisdom teeth taken out this afternoon so he is out of action. We've all wished him well - but rather him than me! 

Hopefully this FP2 session won't feel like pulling teeth...

Hello one and all! How are we? Second practice for the Bahrain GP is coming right up, and by a long stretch it is the most important practice session of the weekend.

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images