Oscar Piastri nailed his Bahrain’s third and final practice supremacy with a hot lap time of 1:31.646, reinforcing McLaren’s dominant performances in all three practices. The Australian performance confirmed McLaren as this weekend’s team to beat, with teammate Lando Norris performing a papaya one-two but six tenths behind.

It was another hot day at the Bahrain International Circuit, with the track temperatures going as high as 43°C and ambient air hovering around 32°C. The heat, complemented by a dusty surface and evolving grip, made challenging conditions during the early stages of the hour-long session.

A Cautious Start

Lights came on green but no early charge. It was only when a minute had elapsed that Ollie Bearman appeared, soon to be followed by his team-mate – the hard C1 compound the pair adopting for both. Teams were relaxed in the opening half of the session, content to gather long-run data and await track temperatures to come down. There was more rubber placed down with the help of F2 and F3 this weekend, grip improving as the session progressed.

Haas did, however, shine early on. Bearman was nimble last night under the lights and did it again this afternoon. On a new floor – first used in Japan – the team appear to have made an outstanding step forward. Ocon did, however, find a bouncy car difficult, somewhat of a theme this year.

Tire Strategy and Set-Up Tweaks

Ferrari adopted a hardline, doing three runs on tires in the session. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both set off on worn softs. Hamilton struggled to get down to a decent lap time early on, but Leclerc seemed more at ease – although one of his wing mirrors had come loose halfway round a lap in the third sector.

Alpine took an interesting approach with Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan exiting on mediums early. Doohan spun across the curbs, but nothing race-damaging. He’ll be keen to get into Q2 this weekend after Q1 exits at the last two events.

Williams’ James Vowles had the same view that fractions do matter this weekend:

“It’s so close between all the cars… The Racing Bulls and us have the potential to get into Q3.”

Indeed, Haas and Racing Bulls seem probable spoilers to what is set to be an extremely tight midfield.

Verstappen Stumbles As McLaren Rise

Max Verstappen and Redbull struggled, took it off and stopped on his initial push lap on the softs. Returned a little later, did go second at one stage, but finished eighth. Complained over the radio about his suspension, and Red Bull looked anything but happy – both on an individual lap and on longer runs.

With the soft tire runs beginning in earnest, Piastri faced the challenge with an astonishing 1:31.646. Norris was next but abandoned his initial try after making a mistake. He eventually produced a 1:32.314, which was second but still 0.668s off his team-mate’s pace. The McLaren intra-team battle is very much alive, but it is Piastri who holds the advantage heading into qualifying.

Gasly impressed once more in P6 and was amazed by McLaren’s speed.

“I can’t believe how fast these McLarens are at the moment.” – Pierre Gasly, Alpine driver

Rookie Isack Hadjar also made a good impression, seventh – 0.004s clear of Verstappen. The French-Algerian has returned to his best after some early strife in Australia.

Russell Lurks, Ferrari Hanging On

George Russell made a late appearance in the session and put in a strong lap to go third, though he was still 1.181s off the pace. He had earlier spun and described the grip levels as the

“least I’ve ever had in an F1 car.”

Nonetheless, Mercedes appeared to be in a decent position, with Russell outperforming rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who nonetheless slotted in a respectable fifth.

Charles Leclerc was the best of the Ferrari duo, going third at one stage but ending the session in fourth. Hamilton’s difficulties persisted – he finished P10, 1.465s off Piastri’s benchmark.

Track limits were an issue throughout the session, with various drivers like Norris, Tsunoda, and Bearman making costly errors on their flying laps. These laps will be erased for qualifying time, and with soft tires likely to be only good for one run, precision will be the order of the day.

FP3 Top 10:

McLaren has been untouchable in Bahrain so far, topping all three practice sessions – a venue where they’ve never tasted victory. But with both Ferrari and Mercedes showing glimpses of pace, and Red Bull needing to unlock more potential, qualifying could yet throw up a surprise. For now, it’s Piastri who holds all the cards – and momentum might just carry him a little further under the lights tonight.