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F1 Bahrain pre-season test - Day 3
Minute by minute updates on the final day of the 2023 F1 Bahrain pre-season test
After Max Verstappen topped the opening day and Zhou Guanyu went fastest yesterday, on-track action resumes from 07:00 GMT (10:00 local time).
All three days follow the same schedule, with running taking place from 10:00 until 14:15, and from 15:15 until 19:30 (all local time), pausing for a lunch break.
All 10 teams are set to be in action for the Bahrain pre-season test, the only opportunity teams will have to properly put their cars through their paces before the 2023 season proper gets under way next weekend.
The Bahrain pre-season test will take place on 23-25 February ahead of the 2023 F1 season opener at the same venue, the Bahrain Grand Prix, on 3-5 March.
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By: Haydn Cobb, Tom Howard, Lewis Duncan, Stephen Lickorish, Megan White
Stopped
Checkered flag
With that, it is time to sign off our live coverage of F1 pre-season testing. Thank you for joining us across the last three days, it has been a blast, and we do it again with the Bahrain GP on the 3-5 March. Until then, go well!
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60
Photo by: Mark Sutton
Breaking news
Here's a round-up on today's action, hot off the press: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/2023-f1-bahrain-test-perez-ends-pre-season-on-top/10436535/
Never fear, not long until F1 cars are back on track again. First practice at the Bahrain GP starts at 11:30am GMT on Friday. Until then, we wait.
Checkered flag
The red flags are out for the final time today so that's your lot. 2023 F1 pre-season testing is officially over.
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Now it is time for one-by-one standing practice starts which are far more sedate. Boring, let's call them what they are.
The practice rolling start ends up with three abreast into Turn 1, Tsunoda leading from the battling Perez and Bottas as Norris backs out of it. Then Bottas dives up the inside of Perez to take second! Well, not really, but that was fun.
Tsunoda leads out a seven-car train for a trial formation lap followed by a rolling start test. It is called testing for a reason, I guess.
The red flags are out for the next control systems check. After that it should be a practice start, which almost went very wrong yesterday and narrowly avoided being a multi-car pile-up.
It means Perez will end the final day on top from Hamilton, with Bottas third nipping in front of the two Ferraris.
Perez's halo has been gunged in green flow-vis paint as the day's running winds down. The last 15 minutes will be held for virtual safety car and other race controls tests so the meaningful running is complete.
It has also been an impressive showing by Ferrari, Aston Martin and Alpine for different reasons, while Mercedes has been up and down but is finishing today feeling much better than yesterday.
From our view, Red Bull has enjoyed a really strong test. Most other teams have something to focus on or worry about but the reigning champions haven't missed a beat.
We are into the embers of pre-season testing. Let us know who you think has starred and who has struggled?
It wasn't to be for Bottas, who put in a 1m31.054s so doesn't improve and stays third.
Bottas is back out on some shiny new C5s, so you know what that means. The Finn will keep it pinned next time around.
Not another one! You're joking! To quote Brenda from Bristol, Perez goes for a new quali-style lap, setting some fastest mini sectors, but he catches Norris at the final corner and doesn't improve overall.
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Bottas, on the C5s, joins the party at the top of the times. The Finn goes third with a 1m30.827s to go half a second off Perez.
At Turn 10 Perez almost makes friends with the outside barrier as he carries far too much speed into the corner and drifts off track. The Mexican backs off and keeps the RB19 away from the wall but his lap is ruined.
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Norris puts in an improvement on the C3 tyres of 1m32.160s to go 11th but it didn't look the smoothest of sailing for the Brit in the McLaren.
But there is only seven days to wait to find out the true pecking order because this time next week we'll be heading into Q3 of qualifying for the Bahrain GP.
Given what Verstappen was producing yesterday with the RB19 and what Perez is doing today, this display from the Red Bull team sends out an ominous warning to the rest.
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The Red Bull driver duly delivers with a 1m30.305s to put himself 0.359s clear of nearest challenger Hamilton. That lap was also faster than last year's pole time set by Leclerc - granted, Perez has done it with one step softer tyres.
Perez is on a new set of C4s again to have another crack at improving his best lap time.
Ocon is hopping along in the Alpine which is riding very hard over the bumps. The Frenchman is on the C1 hard tyres, so very much not going for a headline time.
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Magnussen moves up to sixth for Haas using the C4s to set a 1m31.381s. It gets many nods of approval from the team garage, they are very happy with how testing has gone.
Good afternoon! I come here bounding full of energy as Woking have just taken the lead (the football club, not the F1 team based there). One more hour of pre-season testing. It is now or never.
There's now just one hour of testing to go, so it's a time for the final handover of the Autosport live comms baton as Haydn Cobb will now guide you through the last running.
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It's up to eighth for Magnussen with a 1m31.890s, 1.2s off the ultimate pace.
Magnussen was one of the few drivers yet to switch to the soft tyres, but he has now so let's see where the Haas can climb up to.
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And it's an improvement for Hamilton but he's still 0.048s slower than Perez! Hamilton lost out in the final sector and it could be that the ultra-soft C5s are struggling to last an entire lap.
As we watch Hamilton, Tsunoda has now jumped up to fifth having also bolted on the C4s.
Hamilton is going to try to claim back top spot now! He's back out on the C5s and is up in the first sector.