F1 Bahrain GP: Sainz beats Alonso, Verstappen to top FP3

A flurry of final hot-laps interspersed among the final 10 minutes created a changing order after the Red Bulls moved to the top for a short spell, Max Verstappen capturing a 1m31.062s over team-mate Sergio Perez.

Alonso, who had been on top previously, reclaimed his advantage at the head of the field having become the first driver of the session to get below the 1m31s mark.

However, his countryman Sainz managed to pull 0.141s out of Alonso's time, finishing the session atop the order for an all-Spanish 1-2.

Unrepresentative track conditions compared to those expected in qualifying and Saturday's race ensured that FP3 would be of limited value, although it nonetheless offered track time to those looking to tie up any loose ends before the high-value sessions.

Track temperatures of 34 degrees C at the start of the session proved relatively undesirable, thus producing a six-minute wait before any track action took place; Lewis Hamilton broke the deadlock to gather some mileage for Mercedes.

The seven-time champion had the track to himself in the early phases and thus it was inevitable that he would move to the top; a 1m32.733s served as the initial benchmark on a set of soft tyres. Another hiatus followed when Hamilton pitted, although this was somewhat shorter as Ferrari duo Sainz and Charles Leclerc took to the road as the track temperatures began to fall.

Once the opening quarter of an hour came to an end, there were a few more takers willing to occupy the track; Leclerc posted a 1m32.677s to overturn Hamilton's early hegemony over the times, while Sainz fell a tenth short of his team-mate.

With more track action, the times began to fall; Kevin Magnussen rose to the top by two tenths, before he was overturned by Lance Stroll in the Canadian's initial run.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-24 (Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images)

George Russell then burst onto the scene and posted a 1m31.821s to go fastest, half a tenth faster than Stroll's earlier headliner. Leclerc got close with his next attempt but could not beat Russell despite setting the best final sector, but Fernando Alonso subsequently moved to the top with a 1m31.582s.

Amid the soft-tyre runs, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez put together some quicker laps on the hard tyre, and thus did not factor among the early squabbling over faster laps. Both Red Bull drivers aired grievances over their first laps, with Perez reporting a "bad" feeling with his downshifts while Verstappen suggested that the hard tyre felt "terrible" after his first laps on the C1s.

The two switched to soft tyres in the final 20 minutes of the session and immediately began to chase after a headline time; Perez posted a 1m31.248s to chisel Alonso from the top of the times, but was outdone by Verstappen's subsequent lap by two tenths.

Their efforts prompted a flurry of further action on the softs; the Aston Martins began another round of hot laps and although Stroll fell just short of Perez's second-fastest effort, Alonso fired his way back to the top with a 1m30.965s - stating that he was "connected with the car" after progress with set-up.

The McLarens took another go and Lando Norris set the best middle sector, but lost about six tenths in the final part of the lap which denied him a chance to make his way to the top of the order.

Sainz and Leclerc queued up for Ferrari's final fast laps of the session and, although Sainz had been able to put his car on top, Leclerc was about a quarter of a second shy of his team-mate and could only managed fourth, behind Alonso and Verstappen.

Norris' effort was good enough for fifth ahead of Russell, while Oscar Piastri relegated Perez down a further position as the Australian got the seventh-fastest time. Nico Hulkenberg and Stroll completed the top half of the field.

Just 1.558s separated the top and bottom drivers, as Alpine's Pierre Gasly endured further struggles with the slowest time of the session.

F1 Bahrain GP FP3 results

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info Driver Info

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Main Information Additional Data 1  -  2
Cla	Driver	#		Chassis	Engine	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h
1	C. Sainz Ferrari	55		Ferrari	Ferrari	18	1'30.824		214.515
2	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		Aston Martin	Mercedes	18	+0.141 1'30.965	0.141	214.183
3	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1		Red Bull	Red Bull	16	+0.238 1'31.062	0.097	213.955
4	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		Ferrari	Ferrari	17	+0.270 1'31.094	0.032	213.880
5	L. Norris McLaren	4		McLaren	Mercedes	12	+0.294 1'31.118	0.024	213.823
6	G. Russell Mercedes	63		Mercedes	Mercedes	12	+0.366 1'31.190	0.072	213.655
7	O. Piastri McLaren	81		McLaren	Mercedes	13	+0.386 1'31.210	0.020	213.608
8	S. Perez Red Bull Racing	11		Red Bull	Red Bull	17	+0.424 1'31.248	0.038	213.519
9	N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team	27		Haas	Ferrari	13	+0.454 1'31.278	0.030	213.449
10	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18		Aston Martin	Mercedes	17	+0.572 1'31.396	0.118	213.173
11	D. Ricciardo RB	3		RB	Red Bull	13	+0.625 1'31.449	0.053	213.049
12	L. Hamilton Mercedes	44		Mercedes	Mercedes	20	+0.628 1'31.452	0.003	213.042
13	Y. Tsunoda RB	22		RB	Red Bull	14	+0.807 1'31.631	0.179	212.626
14	K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team	20		Haas	Ferrari	20	+0.847 1'31.671	0.040	212.533
15	A. Albon Williams	23		Williams	Mercedes	17	+1.141 1'31.965	0.294	211.854
16	Z. Guanyu Sauber	24		Sauber	Ferrari	17	+1.176 1'32.000	0.035	211.773
17	V. Bottas Sauber	77		Sauber	Ferrari	16	+1.272 1'32.096	0.096	211.553
18	E. Ocon Alpine	31		Alpine	Renault	11	+1.300 1'32.124	0.028	211.488
19	L. Sargeant Williams	2		Williams	Mercedes	16	+1.301 1'32.125	0.001	211.486
20	P. Gasly Alpine	10		Alpine	Renault	14	+1.558 1'32.382	0.257	210.898
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