The second round of the Formula 3 Championship headed to Bahrain following an important and valuable in-season test at the same circuit, which heavily influenced the first session of the weekend.
As the green light appeared, the cars headed out on track for a mini Virtual Safety Car test before returning straight to the pits.
Due to the hot weather, with air temperatures reaching 35°C and track temperatures especially high at 47°C, the tyres are exposed to significant stress. Meaning that managing the compounds will be crucial as the weekend action unfolds.
The tyres weren’t the only ones exposed to the hot sun, as most drivers, with only one exception, stayed out of their cars, hiding in the shadows and keeping themselves hydrated.
The exception was Ivan Domingues. The Portuguese driver headed back out on track with 30 minutes left in the session, setting the first benchmark time of 1:32.776 before returning to the pits after a seven-lap run.
The track remained quiet, especially due to the in-season testing at the end of March, where teams gathered valuable data and drivers gained confidence behind the wheel. This might explain the relatively uneventful practice session; however, it has brought the drivers even closer together, setting the excitement for an interesting qualifying session later today.
As the clock ticked down to 16 minutes remaining, Domingues returned to the track, followed by cars from Campos Racing, AIX Racing, and gradually the rest of the field.
The choice of tyres was unanimous: all drivers opted for the hard compound as they began putting together one flying lap each to get an idea of what to expect in qualifying.
Nikola Tsolov topped the timesheets with a lap of 1:51.111, while Campos secured P1, P2, and P3. With the rest of the drivers mixing the order, championship leader Rafael Camara delivered a perfect middle sector and claimed first place with a confident lap time of 1:50.984.