Free Practice 3: Alonso Positions Ferrari as Favorites, Ahead of Mercedes

Fernando Alonso emerged as the leader of Free Practice 3 held this morning in Bahrain. The Ferrari driver, in a qualifying stint, widened the gap on his competitors and stands as the favorite for the qualifying session at noon, French time. He clocked the fastest time of his two initial days in Formula 1 in 2010, ahead of Rosberg’s Mercedes GP and Webber’s Red Bull.

With a time of 1’54″099, Alonso currently sets the best time of the weekend before the first qualifying session of the season. The Spanish double world champion ran a significant portion of the tests with minimal fuel, preparing for the qualifications.

Behind, Nico Rosberg is almost three-tenths behind. The German is faster than Alonso in sectors 1 and 2 but loses a lot of time at the end of the lap, in sector 3. He is ahead of Mark Webber, who positions himself as a challenger in the Red Bull with the third-fastest time. Michael Schumacher is still acclimating to the new Formula 1. The seven-time world champion is in 4th place on the timesheet, still a few tenths behind his teammate at Mercedes GP.

Red Bull clearly enters the top, with Vettel taking the 5th position, ahead of Felipe Massa for Ferrari. The Italian achieved his best time with a slight slip in the last corner, but it was enough to secure the sixth-fastest time… The pole position will therefore be contested between Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull-Renault.

The followers are starting to take shape. Button is 7th in the McLaren and ahead of Kubica’s Renault. Liuzzi in the Force India is in the top 10, as is Hülkenberg’s Williams.

A lot of activity on the track this morning, but few red flags to report. Glock had an issue with the Virgin and his front left wheel, detaching from the VR01… Reminding us of the dangers of moving components on F1 cars. His teammate, Di Grassi, also experienced a problem, this time with his gearbox. As for Chandhok, he still hasn’t done any laps on the circuit: Dallara (the chassis manufacturer) is having difficulties integrating the gearbox on the HRT. Article 31.2 of the FIA states that a driver must participate in at least one of the three practice sessions to qualify for the qualifications and the Grand Prix, thus suggesting the absence of the Indian driver for the rest of the weekend.

Results of Free Practice 3 – Bahrain GP – Saturday, March 13, 2010: