Bahrain – Free Practice 3: Verstappen shuffles the pack ahead of qualifying

Temperatures are very high at 3 p.m. (local time) at the start of free practice on the Sakjir circuit: 35°C on the ground and 39°C in the air, which is about a 5°C difference on the track compared to the second practice session held the day before.

The Force Indias of French driver Esteban Ocon and Mexican driver Sergio Pérez are the first cars to start to set a timed reference in this session, quickly joined by Carlos Sainz Jr. in the Toro Rosso, who then leads, on super-soft tires, the two pink cars. The Spaniard was dethroned at the top of the timesheet 24 minutes after the session’s green light by his teammate Daniil Kvyat, on soft tires.

Verstappen, sliding almost constantly during his first timed lap, nevertheless sets the best time 23 minutes before the end on soft tires, just before Romain Grosjean’s sudden off-track exit after losing the rear of his Haas while accelerating in turn 4. The practice session is then neutralized under the red flag regime until the French driver’s return to the pits. The damage to the car being relatively minor, the former Lotus driver will be able to return to the Sakhir track before the end of the session.

Fifteen minutes before the end of the session, the Ferraris take to the track, both on super-soft tires. While Vettel makes a particularly fast initial run compared to his teammate Räikkönen, the German goes off track exiting turn 5 due to overheating tires. On the line, the Finn grabs the best time for a few minutes, aided by a certainly more measured driving style in the first sector. Vettel then settles for a provisional third place.

In the final moments of the session, the battle for the top position is between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The three-time world champion ultimately falls a tenth behind the Dutchman’s Red Bull, likely due to time lost in the final corner for the Mercedes driver. Both drivers finally lead Vettel, Bottas, and Räikkönen, all over five-tenths of a second behind.

To conclude, let’s note that many drivers have struggled to complete a fast lap from start to finish without having to correct a rear end made unstable by overheating Pirelli tires. However, such a problem should be avoided by the nightfall over Bahrain, which should cool the atmosphere for the qualifying sessions held at 6 p.m. local time. In the meantime, it’s difficult to identify a real favorite for pole position…

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION: END OF FP3

Late scorcher from VER steals the show 🔥

Don’t miss #Quali in just under two hours ⌚️#BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/dhLRv6jQGS

— Formula 1 (@F1) 15 avril 2017