Loose drain cover halts F1 testing for second day

Formula 1 pre-season testing was halted for the second day in a row on Friday due to a loose pipe cover at Bahrain's Sakhir circuit.

On-track action resumed following repairs at Turn 11 with the usual lunch break scrapped and the session scheduled to run until 7 p.m. local time.

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Testing stopped on Thursday when Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed the tarpaulin, and the floor of the latter's car had to be replaced.

On Friday, Red Bull's Sergio Perez dislodged another drain cover at the same corner with 27 minutes on the clock, again bringing out red flags and other repairs to the track after an inspection.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz had been fastest before the latest suspension, with the Spaniard also topping the timesheets on Thursday.

Drivers only have a day and a half of pre-season testing each, with three days in total allocated for teams to test with one car each.

The first race of the season will take place at the same Bahrain circuit on Saturday next week.