F1, Zhou surprise: the Chinese from Alfa is the fastest ahead of Verstappen

SAKHIR. Surprise ending on the second day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain. On the Sakhir circuit, in the last few minutes the Chinese Guanyu Zhou did a qualifying lap with soft tires and obtained the best time of the day in 1’31”610. Zhou, who drives a Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo-Sauber, preceded two-time world champion Max Verstappen by 60 thousandths. From half a minute up all the other gaps, starting with Fernando Alonso, who had already distinguished himself with a second place on the first day.

Behind the Spanish driver we find other surprises: the rookie Nyck De Vries with the AlphaTauri, the veteran Nico Hulkenberg with the Haas and in sixth place the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. Followed by another rookie, Logan Sargeant, with Williams, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, still a rookie, Oscar Piastri with McLaren, and Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri). Thus the top ten, in a list full of innovations that liven up the tests but also indicate that many big names worked in a race set-up, without pushing their respective single-seaters to the limit. Among these are the Ferrari drivers, who drove 70 and 68 laps respectively with the SF-23.

«Since last year we have known that we have a very fast car in qualifying, it is on the race pace that we need to improve» is the comment of the two. Mercedes is in crisis. The single-seater with slim sides that struggled last year has been modified without correcting its basic layout. The results are negative: “Ferrari and Red Bull are the fastest,” confirmed team principal Toto Wolff. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton managed to complete the 72 laps of the morning programme, finishing in a disappointing 15th place, 2”3 behind Zhou. The English rider complained about the balance.

Reliability problems were added to the design problems: George Russell parked on the side of the track after 26 laps (13th fastest time). The diagnosis: failure of the hydraulic system. The standings from 11th place: 11. Kevin Magnussen (Haas); 12. Esteban Ocon (Alpine); 13. George Russell (Mercedes); 14. Sergio Perez (Red Bull); 15. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 16. Lando Norris (McLaren); 17. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri). Tomorrow (Saturday) is the third and final day of testing of 2023. The Bahrain Grand Prix will take place on 5 March.