F1 Pre-season Testing Day 3: Live Updates from Bahrain

On the third and final day of Formula 1 pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Race Track, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished top of the time sheets with an impressive performance. Fastening 1m 30.322s on Pirelli C5 tyres, Leclerc beat George Russell by just four hundredths of a second, consolidating Ferrari’s presence at the front.

The day didn’t start out of the ordinary, as Sergio Perez red-flagged the drainage area of the track, prompting the necessary repairs. After the continuation, the session continues without a lunch break, so teams can continue their testing program till the end of the day.

Williams were the exception and opted to keep Alex Albon in the car all day, resulting in an impressive 121 laps, the highest of the day. Although Albon finished sixth in qualifying, other drivers also made their mark, such as Perez’s replacement Max Verstappen, finishing the day in fourth a few laps later.

Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda finished fifth, highlighting the team’s encouraging performance in testing. His teammate Daniel Ricciardo also contributed to this positivity, completing a race simulation and collecting 70 laps.

With the temperature dropping and track conditions more representative than those seen at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Leclerc maintained his lead, followed by Russell and Zhou Guanyu. Max Verstappen finished fourth, highlighting the competition between the top teams.

Although some teams had to change drivers during practice, Williams decided to keep Albon again, giving him a valuable opportunity to accumulate important kilometers and statistics.

McLaren youngster Oscar Piastrija finished seventh, with Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Perez rounding out the top ten. With testing complete, teams now turn to data analysis in preparation for the start of the competition. The season is fast approaching.

The final day of testing was an important indicator of the team’s performance ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place between February 29 and March 2. Formula 1 fans can look forward to an exciting season based on the promising performances seen on the test day.

With the successful completion of pre-season testing, anticipation now turns to the first race and teams have a week to refine their strategies ahead of the highly anticipated start of the Formula 1 season.