Can This F1 Team Rival Red Bull? And, It's Not Ferrari

An unexpected challenger to Red Bull could be emerging as a formidable competitor for the upcoming 2024 Formula One season, following an impressive performance during the second free practice ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

During the second practice session on Tuesday, February 28, at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, the two Mercedes cars claimed the top positions on the time sheets.

Lewis Hamilton recorded the fastest lap with a time of 1m 30.374s, closely followed by George Russell, who clocked in at 1m 30.580s.

This impressive lap by the British driver, set during the midway point of the session, remained unmatched as teams shifted their focus to longer runs, leaving Hamilton's lap 0.206s ahead of his teammate.

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso completed the top three by posting a time of 1min 30.660s, while three-time defending world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull was in sixth place, with his fastest lap going at 1min 30.851s.

Mercedes surprised with good showing

Hamilton admitted to being taken by surprise after topping the timesheets.

"Again I don't understand, it's a shock to see us where we are. We'll take it for now but we can't get ahead of ourselves. We need to keep our heads down, keep working on the set-up," the seven-time world champion said.

However, the future Scuderia Ferrari driver added that the team's long-run pace is currently not on par with Red Bull's, and they have work to do in that area.

Russell remarked that the car now feels much closer to the ideal race car experience. However, he pointed out that there is still a need to address the bouncing issue, which was a concern and something they encountered last week in pre-season testing.

While the team showcased a commendable performance in FP2, the accurate indicator of a significantly improved performance will be revealed through their results in qualifying on Friday.

Ferrari drivers impressed with Mercedes' performance

Scuderia Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. expressed their admiration for Mercedes' performance in FP2.

"Mercedes look strong, which is a bit of a surprise. But we don't know which fuel [level] they were running, so I think we'll have all our answers tomorrow.. At least on our side... no bad surprises," Leclerc said.

On the other hand, Sainz Jr. admitted that the eight-time Constructors' champion may be poised to contend for the title after two years of being distant from being among the best cars in the grid behind Red Bull and Ferrari.

"It just shows you can never look into testing, because people tend to not show all their cards, and it's clear Mercedes are going to be in the fight," the outgoing Spanish driver said.