The track soared to over 40°C during FP3 in Bahrain, with Mclaren showing dominant pace with Piastri and Norris finishing six hundredths ahead of the grid.
Slow Start in Bahrain
Track temperatures soared to over 40°C during the third and final practice session in Bahrain. Cars trickled onto the track as they were given the green flag, led by the Haas of Ollie Bearman. As more cars entered the track for push laps, teams noted that the wind was significantly stronger than it had been throughout yesterday.
A range of tyre compounds were being used across teams, and the heat causing grip issues was still a concern. Jack Doohan ran slightly wide early into his session. He drifted wide on medium tyres as he adjusted to the increased heat of the track.
Frustrations Mount at Red Bull
Max Verstappen’s drive started almost twenty minutes into the session, and he immediately reported his frustration at a lack of pace. After calling Red Bull’s performance so far in Bahrain as simply ‘too slow‘ compared to Mclaren, he expressed his concerns with colourful language on the radio after slipping and going wide.
To add to his frustrations, Mclaren’s entry to the track shortly after saw Piastri and Norris immediately rocket to first and second in the timings on soft tyres.
Hulkenburg Out of FP3
The Kick Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg ran into significant issues, with the German driver stating his car had gone into anti-stall and switching off. The incident brought out a virtual safety car with 28 minutes of the sessions left to go. Marshalls managed to manoeuvre the car out within minutes, allowing flying laps to continue.
Not soon after, his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto also ran wide, giving himself a scare as he fought to keep the car on track.
Final Push
Max Verstappen re-entered the session late with soft tyres, rocketing to second despite performance concerns at the start of the session. With ten minutes to go, he put his foot to the floor, claiming first in the timings with a 1.33.3. He was quickly knocked down again by Oscar Piastri, and surprisingly, Pierre Gasly.
The final few minutes were full of slips and skids across the grid. As more teams put on software to collect data on performance, drivers increasingly struggled to keep it on track.
The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc lost a side mirror, the side piece flinging itself off the car. He remained out on track to continue to push laps, utilising as much time as possible to come to grips with Ferrari’s new upgrades.
George Russell had a significant skid, spinning backwards as he overcorrected to catch his Mercedes. He pitted immediately, telling his team it was the least amount of grip he’d ever had.
Fighting for Places
With increased speed after introducing more soft tyres into the session, several teams set competitive times with each other as they completed push laps.
Mercedes made an appearance at the top of the timings, taking second and third for a short time below Piastri. Leclerc pushed into third as Norris raced into second. Pierre Gasly commented to his team during the session about Mclaren’s speed; clearly, they’re still the team to beat.
Featured Image Photo By Mclaren Racing Media