Formula 1 News: Sainz Jr. tops final Bahrain GP Practice
In a tight final practice for the 2024 Bahrain GP, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. turned a lap of 1m30.824s to beat the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso by 0.141s
–by Mark Cipolloni–
If the result of final practice is any indication, we should see an exciting qualifying session in about 2 hours.
Max Verstappen was 3rd quick in his Red Bull, 0.238s behind and ahead of the 2nd Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who was 0.270s behind his teammate.
Lando Norris rounded out the top-5 for McLaren, 0.294s behind.
Just eight and a half tenths of a second separated Sainz in P1 down to Magnussen in 14th. The margins are tight, and any mistakes are going to prove costly in qualifying.
All fast times in Practice 3 were set on the soft Pirelli ‘Red’ tires.
And given that Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Aston Martin all look quick while Mercedes excelled under the lights… Could there be a genuine ten-way fight for pole later on?
2024 Bahrain GP Practice 3 Results
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time | Behind |
| 1 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Scuderia Ferrari | 1m30.824s | 0.000s |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m30.965s | 0.141s |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m31.062s | 0.238s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari | 1m31.094s | 0.270s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren F1 Team | 1m31.118s | 0.294s |
| 6 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m31.190s | 0.366s |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren F1 Team | 1m31.210s | 0.386s |
| 8 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m31.248s | 0.424s |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1m31.278s | 0.454s |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m31.396s | 0.572s |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | 1m31.449s | 0.625s |
| 12 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m31.452s | 0.628s |
| 13 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | 1m31.631s | 0.807s |
| 14 | Alex Albon | THA | Williams Racing | 1m31.671s | 0.847s |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1m31.965s | 1.141s |
| 16 | Zhou Guanyu | CHN | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 1m32.000s | 1.176s |
| 17 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 1m32.096s | 1.272s |
| 18 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Williams Racing | 1m32.124s | 1.300s |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m32.125s | 1.301s |
| 20 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m32.382s | 1.558s |