Bahrain GP 2024: Final Practice Shakes Grid

The last Free Practice for Bahrain GP 2024 highlighted unexpected performances, setting a thrilling stage for qualifying.

The final Free Practice session for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix took place early this afternoon. It was a session not entirely indicative of what to expect in qualifying, obviously, since it unfolded in broad daylight.

Lewis Hamilton was the first to hit the track on soft tires, and the seven-time world champion set an initial time of 1’32″733. Carlos Sainz was next to post a time, slotting into second, a mere 0″029 behind Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc also took to the track, placing his Ferrari in first with a time of 1’32″677. Kevin Magnussen then improved to 1’32″440, taking the lead, while the Stake drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, were fifth and sixth, respectively.

While all other drivers opted for soft compounds, Sergio Pérez went with hard tires and clocked the seventh-fastest time. Lance Stroll captured the provisional top spot with a time of 1’32″327, and Nico Hülkenberg posted the sixth-fastest time. Lando Norris slotted into third.

George Russell then propelled his Mercedes W15 to the top with a time of 1’31″821. Like Pérez, Max Verstappen had chosen hard tires and positioned himself tenth, right ahead of his teammate. Sainz climbed back to second.

Times continued to drop, with Fernando Alonso taking the lead with a time of 1’31″582. Alex Albon secured the provisional seventh spot between Magnussen and Norris. The Alpine F1 drivers went out on soft tires, with Esteban Ocon placing 12th and Pierre Gasly 17th.

Yuki Tsunoda wedged himself into fourth between the Ferrari drivers, while Verstappen requested his team to avoid hard tires, branding them “horrible”. He and Pérez switched to soft tires with fifteen minutes left in the session.

Pérez immediately set the session’s fastest time at 1’31″248, a clear margin ahead of Alonso. Verstappen also completed a time, seizing the top spot with a 1’31″062.

Stroll improved and moved up to third, three tenths behind Verstappen. Alonso made further progress, claiming the top time with a 1’30″965. Norris posted the third-fastest time, a tenth behind Alonso, with Piastri right behind his teammate.

Alonso praised Aston Martin’s progress: “It’s a step forward. I feel connected with the car.” Russell advanced to fourth between the two McLarens. Albon moved up to ninth.

Verstappen didn’t improve on a new fast lap, while Gasly was on a timed lap trying to move up from 20th. The Frenchman closed to within 1″4 of the leaders, securing 16th place.

The Haas drivers also improved, with Hülkenberg moving up to seventh and Magnussen halting his effort. Tsunoda placed 11th, as the Ferrari drivers went out for a fast lap with 5 minutes left in the session.

Sainz set the fastest time at 1’30″824, while Leclerc moved up to fourth. Ocon made progress but only managed the 18th fastest time, pushing the other Alpine to last place. The situation appeared quite challenging for the French team.

Thus, Sainz held the fastest time ahead of Alonso and Verstappen, followed by Leclerc, Norris, Russell, Piastri, Pérez, Hülkenberg, and Stroll. Ricciardo, Hamilton, and Tsunoda were next, ahead of Magnussen and Albon, then the Stake drivers, followed by Ocon, Sargeant, and Gasly.

2024 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Free Practice Results (3)

Bahrain FP3 F1 2024. Bahrain FP3 F1 2024

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