Formula 2 testing at Bahrain International Circuit

Manama : Nicholas Latifi set the pace yesterday on the second day of Formula 2 pre-season testing at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

The DAMS ace clocked a fastest lap of (one minute 40.541 seconds) to top the times in a very competitive morning session, which saw each of the quickest seven drivers register a lap within the 1:40.000 mark.

They were all also within just five-tenths of a second apart.

Russian Time teammates Luca Ghiotto (1:40.678) and Artem Markelov (1:40.678) followed in second and third respectively.

Jordan King of MP Motorsport was fourth, day one leader Charles Leclerc of Prema Racing was fifth and Norman Nato of Pertamina Arden was sixth, with Alexander Albon of ART Grand Prix seventh and teammate Nobuharu Matsushita rounding out the top eight.

Each of the fastest eight in the morning had better times than afternoon session leader Nyck de Vries of Rapax, whose best following a mid-day break was 1:41.212.

A total of 20 drivers, representing 10 teams, took to BIC’s 5.412-kilometre Grand Prix track yesterday for the second of three days of tests. The tests in Bahrain conclude today and sessions are open to public.

All those with tickets to the 2017 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix may attend free of charge.

The tests are a part of BIC’s “Race Fever” campaign, organised to help build up excitement ahead of this year’s Formula 1 extravaganza.

Formula 2 was recently rebranded from the GP2 Series heading into this season, which is its 13th. The new campaign gets underway in support of the Bahrain Grand Prix from April 14 to 16.