A small mistake from Lewis Hamilton allowed Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to gain the upper hand in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix . To some extent the duo took it easy in FP1 as the team focused on a particular plan given the session was hardly representative of what all the drivers will face in qualifying and the race . Come the start , and with the track exceptionally dusty given its desert setting and which will naturally improve over the weekend with use , the circuit and air temperatures were a searing 52 and 36 degrees centigrade respectively . Nico Rosberg ( pictured ) got the better of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain second practice . Rosberg was slower in sectors one and two of FP2 but a mistake from Hamilton gifted him first place . Hamilton ( left ) takes a corner in Sakhir , Bahrain ahead of Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel . Come the start of FP2 at 6pm local time , when qualifying and the race commence under the hundreds of lights around the circuit , both temperatures had dropped considerably and that is when Rosberg and Hamilton came to the fore . In FP1 pace was not their concern as the duo finished 15th and 16th , 1.466secs and 1.705secs adrift respectively of Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari . In FP2 , and with the natural order restored as they finished first and second at the top of the timesheet , just 0.115secs was the gap at the end of their runs on the soft Pirelli tyre , the quicker of the two compounds this weekend . That was due to a lock-up from Hamilton in the second sector of the Bahrain International Circuit which cost him four tenths of a second , otherwise he would likely have beaten Rosberg by three tenths given he was faster in sectors one and two . It allowed Rosberg to lead the way with a lap of one minute 34.647secs , with Mercedes ' nearest rivals again Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel , but half a second back . Vettel had his issues throughout the day , though , initially in FP1 as his car suffered a loss of power at one point , but with enough time in hand to ensure he returned to the circuit . Hamilton suffered a lock-up in the second sector of the Bahrain International Circuit , leaving him in second . Sparks fly from the rear end of Hamilton 's Mercedes during a practice session in Bahrain . In FP2 , with nine minutes remaining , Force India 's Sergio Perez clipped Vettel 's car , ripping off the front-wing endplate on the left side . With debris on the track the session was red flagged , and with the stewards also announcing an investigation into the incident for causing a collision . Come the restart , Raikkonen and Hamilton took a wide berth in exiting the pit lane around a couple of cars that were slow away , far from impressing the stewards who are to also look at the duo 's unnecessary manoeuvres . Behind the leading quartet came Williams ' Valtteri Bottas followed by Daniel Ricciardo in his Red Bull and Lotus of Pastor Maldonado , all within a second of Rosberg . Sauber 's Felipe Nasr , Daniil Kvyat in his Red Bull and the Williams of Felipe Massa completed the top 10 , with the latter 1.237secs off the pace . Sebastian Vettel had issues throughout the day , eventually finishing the second practice in fourth place . Vettel finished fourth , behind Rosberg , Hamilton and third-placed Kimi Raikkonen in Bahrain . McLaren 's Fernando Alonso was 1.5secs back in 12th , whilst for team-mate Jenson Button it was a day to forget . In FP1 an electrical fault which cut the engine in the middle of turn one ended Button 's session after just three minutes , with the team unable to carry out a repair . In FP2 the veteran was on his third lap when his car ground to a halt , although on this occasion his mechanics were able to send him back out . Button eventually completed 15 laps , finishing down in 19th place between Manor duo Will Stevens , who finished 4.484secs back , and team-mate Roberto Merhi .
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were 15th and 16th in FP1 . They came to the fore in FP1 , finishing first and second respectively . Hamilton was faster than Rosberg in sectors one and two , but a lock-up in sector three cost him four tenths of a second . Sebastian Vettel had problems throughout the day , and his car was clipped by Sergio Perez in FP2 , ripping off his front-wing endplate on the left side .