Max Verstappen also made the most impression in the third free practice for the first race of the new season in Formula 1. The world champion was the fastest in his Red Bull car at the Bahrain Grand Prix as well as in the second practice on Friday.
The Dutchman clocked 1.32.544 on the desert circuit of Sakhir.
Results
And just like the day before, Charles Leclerc set the second fastest time in his Ferrari. The Monegask conceded almost one tenth to Verstappen (0.096 second). Sergio Pérez, Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull, was third. He was 0.247 seconds slower.
Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton seemed to have significantly better control of his Mercedes, but the Brit was not yet able to match Verstappen’s lap times. The seven-time world champion set the sixth time and was almost six tenths (0.577) behind Verstappen.
best time
It took a while before the 24-year-old Limburger sent the Red Bull into the sun for his last training for qualifying. Once on the track, he immediately set the best time. Leclerc later dived under that time and George Russell of Mercedes was also allowed to call himself the fastest. Towards the end of the training, Verstappen put things in order.
Qualification
The Red Bull driver appears to be the biggest contender for the first pole position of the year, with Leclerc as his main competitor. The qualifying race starts at 4 p.m. Dutch time. Last year, Verstappen took pole in Bahrain, but in the race he was trumped by Hamilton, who finished first just ahead of the Dutchman.