P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Charles Leclerc ended his first Bahrain test with the fastest time on Day 2 before Lewis Hamilton takes over on Friday.
Charles Leclerc has directed his Ferrari team to disregard the headline times he achieved on his last day in the car during the initial Bahrain test. He split driving duties with Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday and had the entire day in the SF-26 on Thursday, completing a total of 142 laps. Leclerc recorded the fastest time of the day, with a morning lap of 1:34.273, edging out world champion Lando Norris in the McLaren by nearly half a second. Having completed his allocated testing time, Leclerc will now pass the baton to Hamilton for Friday’s full day, emphasizing that Ferrari should not be swayed by his headline time. He emphasized the importance of keeping the focus on their own work and development, highlighting that lap times in testing do not hold significant weight. Despite feeling content with the car, Leclerc stressed that it’s still early days and that they will progress steadily by continuing to work methodically.
