WATCH LIVE: FP2 for the Bahrain GP on NBCSN and Live Extra from 11am ET - MotorSportsTalk

With the first free practice session in the books, darkness has now descended on the Bahrain International Circuit and the floodlights are on as the teams and drivers prepare for FP2 on Friday evening.

The Bahrain Grand Prix became a night race in 2014, and running under the lights significantly improved the spectacle and made the event all the more intriguing.

FP1 was something of a mixed-up session, with most choosing to post a fast time late on or – in Mercedes’ case – not record one at all. Kimi Raikkonen set the pace for Ferrari at the top of the timesheets, finishing ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel and Williams’ Valtteri Bottas.

Attention now turns to the second free practice in Bahrain, which should give us some more clues about the pecking order ahead of this weekend’s race.

You can watch FP2 for the Bahrain Grand Prix live on NBCSN and Live Extra from 11am ET. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will be keen to get back to the front of the field in this session after opting not to post a fast lap at the end of FP1. It was the first time this year that neither Mercedes driver had topped a weekend session.

Naturally, Raikkonen and Vettel will be hoping that they can fend off the threat of the Silver Arrows in FP2. Ferrari does appear to be ready to pounce should Mercedes drop the ball in Bahrain, and a solid display of its long run pace in this session would go a long way to proving its potential.

The rest of the field will undoubtedly be showing its hand in this session as well, so make sure you join us for all of the action live from the Bahrain International Circuit.

You can watch FP2 for the Bahrain Grand Prix live on NBCSN and Live Extra from 11am ET. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

Follow @LukeSmithF1

Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”