Oscar Piastri demonstrated impressive speed, leading his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the final practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix. McLaren`s performance strongly suggests they are favorites for qualifying.
While final practice, similar to Friday`s first session, might not fully reflect the conditions of qualifying and the race due to being held in warmer daylight, McLaren`s advantage this weekend seems evident regardless of the time of day.
The MCL39 car`s advantage was particularly noticeable in Practice Three.
Piastri`s best time of 1:31.646 in the qualifying simulations was 0.8 seconds faster than Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who was third fastest, and over a second ahead of the majority of the field.
Norris finished second, 0.668 seconds behind his Australian teammate, after making a mistake on what should have been his fastest lap with soft tires.
World champion Max Verstappen, who previously beat McLaren to pole position in Suzuka, was only eighth, and Lewis Hamilton was tenth in the second Ferrari.
Yuki Tsunoda appears to be struggling before qualifying for the Red Bull team, ending the session in last place without a representative time on soft tires.
Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth, respectively. However, McLaren`s rivals appear to lack the pace to challenge them in Bahrain before the qualifying session.
Karun Chandhok noted that McLaren`s approach is focused on performance when it counts, not just showing off. He added that while the gap might reduce in qualifying, McLaren`s car is effectively managing tire temperatures in hotter conditions, allowing drivers to push for lap time without overheating tires as much as other teams.
Pierre Gasly showed potential for Alpine, securing the sixth fastest time, and Isack Hadjar continued his strong performance for Racing Bulls in seventh.
Carlos Sainz of Williams and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari completed the top 10.
Bahrain GP Practice Three Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:31.646 |
| 2) Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.668 |
| 3) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.834 |
| 4) George Russell | Mercedes | +1.181 |
| 5) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.270 |
| 6) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.328 |
| 7) Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1.377 |
| 8) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +1.381 |
| 9) Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.446 |
| 10) Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1.465 |
| 11) Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.594 |
| 12) Jack Doohan | Alpine | +1.701 |
| 13) Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.724 |
| 14) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.902 |
| 15) Alex Albon | Williams | +2.107 |
| 16) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +2.689 |
| 17) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +2.717 |
| 18) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +2.872 |
| 19) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +2.990 |
| 20) Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +3.319 |
Bahrain GP Schedule
- F2 Sprint
- Bahrain GP Qualifying build-up
- BAHRAIN GP QUALIFYING
- Ted`s Qualifying Notebook
- F3 Feature Race
- F2 Feature Race
- Bahrain GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
- THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
- Bahrain GP reaction: Chequered Flag
- Ted`s Notebook
Gilbert Pendleton