Sakhir GP: Verstappen heads Bottas in FP3
Max Verstappen set the pace in final practice for the Formula 1 Sakhir Grand Prix, leading from Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas as George Russell could only finish seventh.
After seeing Mercedes debutant Russell lead both practice sessions on Friday at the Bahrain International Circuit, Verstappen was able to lead Red Bull to the head of the timesheets in FP3 on Saturday evening.
Verstappen spent the first half of the session focusing on hard tyre running, leaving him half a second behind early pace-setter Bottas, who ran almost four-tenths of a second clear of Russell on the soft tyre.
Verstappen had a brief spin at Turn 2 early in the session, losing the rear of his Red Bull RB16 after getting on the power, but avoided hitting the wall or any other cars.
Mercedes opted to complete its qualifying simulations earlier than Red Bull, giving Bottas the chance to improve his lap time, albeit losing a couple of tenths of a second after running wide at the final corner.
It left the door open for Verstappen to snatch top spot away upon completing his qualifying simulation on the soft compound tyre, recording a fastest time of 54.064 seconds to give him P1 by two-tenths of a second.
Bottas ended the session second, while Russell slumped to seventh after struggling to match his team-mate’s pace through his low fuel runs, eventually finishing six-tenths of a second off Verstappen’s benchmark.
It allowed Pierre Gasly to continue AlphaTauri’s impressive showing ahead of the Sakhir Grand Prix as the Frenchman finished third-fastest overall, 0.363 seconds down on Verstappen.
Esteban Ocon was one of the last drivers to complete a qualifying run, but made use of the rubbered-in track to take fourth for Renault, while McLaren’s Lando Norris rounded out the top five.
Alexander Albon recovered from having two lap times deleted to finish sixth in the sister Red Bull car ahead of Russell, with the Racing Point pair of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll following in eighth and ninth place. Carlos Sainz Jr. completed the top 10 for McLaren.
Antonio Giovinazzi finished 11th for Alfa Romeo ahead of Daniil Kvyat, who struggled to match AlphaTauri team-mate as he finished 12th ahead of Charles Leclerc - who spun late in the session - and Daniel Ricciardo.
Sebastian Vettel’s session came to an early end after Ferrari opted to change his power unit as a precaution ahead of qualifying, with the four-time world champion ending FP3 in 15th.
Kimi Raikkonen took 16th for Alfa Romeo ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen, with Kevin Magnussen and Nicholas Latifi following in 17th and 18th place for Haas and Williams respectively.
Pietro Fittipaldi and Jack Aitken propped up the timesheets at the end of FP3, although both finished within three-tenths of a second of their teammates.
| Cla | Driver | Laps | Time | Gap | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max Verstappen | 23 | 54.064 | 235.920 | |
| 2 |  Valtteri Bottas | 20 | 54.270 | 0.206 | 235.024 |
| 3 |  Pierre Gasly | 24 | 54.427 | 0.363 | 234.346 |
| 4 | Esteban Ocon | 21 | 54.453 | 0.389 | 234.235 |
| 5 |  Lando Norris | 15 | 54.606 | 0.542 | 233.578 |
| 6 |  Alex Albon | 22 | 54.629 | 0.565 | 233.480 |
| 7 | George Russell | 20 | 54.664 | 0.600 | 233.330 |
| 8 |  Sergio Perez | 20 | 54.678 | 0.614 | 233.271 |
| 9 |  Lance Stroll | 18 | 54.693 | 0.629 | 233.207 |
| 10 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. | 16 | 54.720 | 0.656 | 233.092 |
| 11 |  Antonio Giovinazzi | 20 | 54.845 | 0.781 | 232.560 |
| 12 |  Daniil Kvyat | 23 | 54.850 | 0.786 | 232.539 |
| 13 |  Charles Leclerc | 21 | 54.854 | 0.790 | 232.522 |
| 14 |  Daniel Ricciardo | 15 | 54.857 | 0.793 | 232.509 |
| 15 |  Sebastian Vettel | 17 | 54.858 | 0.794 | 232.505 |
| 16 | Kimi Raikkonen | 20 | 55.171 | 1.107 | 231.186 |
| 17 |  Kevin Magnussen | 19 | 55.347 | 1.283 | 230.451 |
| 18 | Nicholas Latifi | 21 | 55.493 | 1.429 | 229.845 |
| 19 |  Pietro Fittipaldi | 21 | 55.666 | 1.602 | 229.130 |
| 20 | Jack Aitken | 23 | 55.670 | 1.606 | 229.114 |
| View full results | |||||
Related video
Previous article
Fittipaldi set for back of grid start after PU penalties
Next article
Ferrari: It's "common sense" to allow Sainz in Abu Dhabi test
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Sakhir GP |
| Sub-event | FP3 |
| Drivers | Max Verstappen |
| Author | Luke Smith |
Sebastian Vettel explains why Aston Martin
Aston Martin AMR21 Unveiling
The updates Williams hopes will lead to a point-scoring return
After producing a car which demonstrated progress but lacked the points to prove it last year, Williams starts its new era of team ownership with the FW43B, its bid to continue the climb up the Formula 1 grid in 2021
How Ferrari plans to recover from its 2020 F1 nightmare
The 2020 Formula 1 season was Ferrari's worst for 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the standings. A repeat performance will not be acceptable for the proud Italian team, which has adopted a notably pragmatic approach to forging its path back to the top
Why Aston Martin’s arrival is more than just new green livery
In the most eagerly anticipated Formula 1 team launch of the season, the rebranded Aston Martin squad’s changes go much further than the striking paint job. But rather than a restart, the team hopes to build on top of solid foundations.
The car Aston Martin begins its new F1 journey with
The team formerly known as Racing Point gambled successfully on a Mercedes look-alike in 2020 as it mounted a strong challenge for third in the constructors' race and won the Sakhir GP. Now clothed in British racing green, Aston Martin's first Formula 1 challenger since 1960 provides the clearest indicator yet of what to expect from the new-for-2021 regulations
The tricky driver conundrums facing Mercedes in F1 2021
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, reigning world champions Mercedes will take on challenges both old and new. This also can be said for its driver conundrum which could become key to sustaining its ongoing success...
How Alpine's cure to 2021 F1 rules starts at the front
A new name, new faces and new colours pulls the rebranded Alpine Formula 1 team into a new era while carrying over core elements of its 2020 car. But under the surface there's more than meets the eye with the A521 which hints at how the team will tackle 2021...
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat
The pointed note that starts Ferrari's Leclerc vs Sainz era
Ferrari is starting its post-Sebastian Vettel age by welcoming Carlos Sainz in alongside Charles Leclerc. But while Sainz has a tough challenge to match his new teammate, Ferrari is also sending a message that previous intra-team spats must end
