Verstappen takes the lead ahead of Leclerc in dynamic final Bahrain practice

Max Verstappen took the fastest lap with a 1:32.544 in an active final practice session leading up to today’s qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Just behind Verstappen we saw Charles Leclerc in second and Sergio Pérez in third, once again showing the potential of both Scuderia Ferrari and Oracle Red Bull Racing to lead the pack. 

George Russell slotted into fourth, about four tenths off leading Verstappen, as Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team appeared to gain some pace during the session. The Constructors’ Champions appeared to still be remedying their issues with porpoising, but seem to be making progress with a particularly smooth mid-session lap from Lewis Hamilton, who ended up in sixth. 

Carlos Sainz filled fifth place on the timing sheet, about five tenths off the lead. His team-mate Leclerc suffered a dramatic spin about halfway through the session on the exit of turn eleven that landed him in the gravel, fortunately avoiding the wall.

Overall, there was much leapfrogging between these leading teams for the top position, as we saw the fastest lap shift between them as the session developed.  It looks like Red Bull and Ferrari will be battling for pole position, but Mercedes will never give up!

Kevin Magnussen found himself seventh as Haas F1 Team found impressive late-session pace. His team-mate, Mick Schumacher, finished P14 but had some impressive sectors of his own.

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN reached the top ten with Valterri Bottas filling in eighth and Zhou Guanyu ninth. The Swiss team, which struggled to reach Q3 in 2021, appear to have the potential to be in midfield contention in 2022.

Rounding out the top ten was Lance Stroll of Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team, with a 1:33.920. Nico Hulkenberg, subbing in for Sebastian Vettel, went twelfth with a 1:33.971. 

McLaren F1 Team seemed to continue their struggles this weekend, as neither Lando Norris nor Daniel Ricciardo ended a practice session within the top ten. Norris finished the final practice session eleventh with a 1:33.955 and Ricciardo took fifteenth with a 1:34.378.

Scuderia Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly slotted into thirteenth, but his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was unable to get any running in due to hydraulic failure. 

Filling in the back of the pack is BWT Alpine F1 Team and Williams Racing. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso came in sixteenth and Esteban Ocon finished eighteenth, although neither went all out on the soft tyres. Williams’ Alex Albon split the Alpine’s and finished seventeenth, while Nicholas Latifi found himself last with a 1:35.667.

Practice in Bahrain has been a mixed bag– it is difficult to discern what the order will end up being at the year’s first qualifying. As Sky F1’s Martin Brundle said during the session, “I’m expecting surprises this weekend, there’s no doubt about that.”

2022 Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice 3 Results: