McLaren put in another dominant performance in final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri’s time of 1min31.646sec was 0.668sec faster than team-mate and championship leader Lando Norris. The fastest non-McLaren car was Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, who was 0.834sec off the pace. Everybody else more than a second adrift of Piastri’s lap time.
Max Verstappen, last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix winner, was down in eighth nearly 1.4sec off the ultimate pace for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton had another difficult session for Ferrari, six-tenths off Leclerc and nearly 1.5sec adrift of Piastri.
The caveats here are that several of McLaren’s rivals (and even Norris himself) failed to string a totally clean lap together and that conditions for qualifying will be different under lights. That said, it is a lot of time for any team to claw back in a matter of hours.
There was further pain for Red Bull’s new recruit Yuki Tsunoda, who finished the session down in 20th. Qualifying in Sakhir begins at 5pm BST.
02:39 PM BST
Ominous form from McLaren
Yes, the caveats are that the conditions will be different for qualifying but the fastest non-McLaren was more than 0.8sec behind. I think plenty of their rivals (well, even Lando Norris himself) failed to get the best out of their laps but, yeah, worrying for everyone else. And possibly worrying for Norris, too. Piastri looks totally on it.
02:33 PM BST
FP3 classification
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PIA 1:31.646
-
NOR +0.668
-
LEC +0.834
-
RUS +1.181
-
ANT +1.270
-
GAS +1.328
-
HAD +1.377
-
VER +1.381
-
SAI +1.446
-
HAM +1.465
-
OCO +1.594
-
DOO +1.701
-
LAW +1.724
-
ALO +1.902
-
ALB +2.107
-
BEA +2.689
-
STR +2.717
-
BOR +2.872
-
HUL +2.990
-
TSU +3.319
02:31 PM BST
FP3 ends
Piastri leads Norris and Leclerc. Full classification coming up shortly.
02:29 PM BST
FP3 - Into the final five minutes
Sainz is the leading Williams driver in this session and he has looked a little more on the pace of team-mate Albon than at any other race so far in 2025.
He is in ninth, 1.446sec off Piastri and 0.762sec ahead of his team-mate Albon. Not sure what has happened with him though.
02:26 PM BST
FP3 - Norris and Leclerc going again
As is Hamilton. Norris goes second, but nearly seven-tenths off Piastri’s time. On older tyres, yes, but still a big gap.
Leclerc crosses the line into third, and is the only non-McLaren driver within a second of Piastri. Hamilton cannot manage that. He goes 10th, 1.465sec off Piastri.
Rapid from Piastri, who looks unbeatable.
02:23 PM BST
FP3 - What happened on Norris’s fast lap?
He understeered off the track at turn 11 after going in too deep. It’s all a bit of a mess out there for several drivers. Not for Piastri, though. Conditions are difficult and the wind is making it harder still. Russell is fighting the wheel and is a second off Piastri’s time after two sectors.
Russell moves second ahead of Antonelli, but still 1.181sec off Piastri.
02:21 PM BST
FP3 - Piastri moves first
1.328sec faster than Gasly and a little bit further ahead still of Verstappen. Hadjar splits Gasly and Verstappen with a fine lap in the Racing Bull. Antonelli then goes second, but 1.270sec off Piastri’s time. Enormous margin.
02:20 PM BST
FP3 - Verstappen on a quick one
He is up after two sectors, but Piastri is even faster than that with a rapid first sector alone. Norris aborts a quick lap so will not move up the order.
Verstappen goes fastest by nearly three-tenths but is then beaten by Gasly...
What has Piastri got? He’s nearly a second up on Gasly after two sectors.
02:16 PM BST
FP3 - More trouble for Russell
He slides and then spins on the exit of turn 10. He is currently in 13th, 1.563sec off Piastri’s best tine of the session.
“I’d probably go as far as saying that’s the least amount of grip I’ve had in an F1 car,” he says on the way back to the pits.
Tsunoda begins a fast lap on the soft tyres. He is currently in 14th, 1.4sec off his team-mate. He aborts his lap early on. Do not know why.
02:14 PM BST
FP3 - Leclerc loses his left wing-mirror
It wasn’t wobbly before but just flew off as he approached the final couple of corners. He comes back into the pit lane for a repair. Bortoleto has a nasty time at turn 13 as he puts the power down.
02:13 PM BST
FP3 - Updated top 10
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PIA 1:33.324
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VER +0.234
-
NOR +0.472
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ALO +0.913
-
LEC +0.934
-
HAM +0.974
-
GAS +1.248
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HUL +1.312
-
LAW +1.323
-
HAD +1.357
02:10 PM BST
FP3 - 21 mins remaining
Hulkenberg was in eighth before he retired from the session. Difficult to know who will be the slowest team at each race this year. Haas currently the slowest in this session but they have only run the hard tyres. Most teams running medium and softs only. As I say, don’t read too much into the lap times here.
Meanwhile, Verstappen has moved into second but ran wide at turn four and exceded track limits. It counts, but that would not be the case in qualifying – the lap would be deleted.
02:07 PM BST
FP3 - Green flags again
George Russell has a big lock up at the first turn. Neither he nor Verstappen have set a representative lap time.
Piastri still fastest by 0.472sec from Norris with Alonso third, more than one second off the pace. I don’t think we should read too much into these margins given how different the conditions will be in qualifying (and that the teams will be doing different things in FP3) but you’d rather be in McLaren’s position than anywhere else...
02:02 PM BST
FP3 - Problems for Hulkenberg
Yellow flags with the Sauber stationary at the side of the track at turn eight. He says it switched itself off and went into anti-stall. We now have a virtual safety car.
01:59 PM BST
FP3 - McLaren referring to their running as ‘data gathering’
OK.
I don’t think anyone really wants to see McLaren run away with it this year or weekend. They have shown pace on a variety of tracks so far. I don’t think we have seen the best from Ferrari or Red Bull, Suzuka aside for the latter. It all finished last season very close but that has not really been the case this year, the standings aside.
01:57 PM BST
FP3 - A few drivers not to set a lap time
Verstappen, Hadjar, Lawson, Antonelli and Russell, who has not even left the garage yet.
01:56 PM BST
FP3 - A fine lap from Piastri puts him first
Nearly half a second faster than Norris. Verstappen making some changes to his RB21. It is the usual trend of things for Verstappen and Red Bull to get closer as the weekend goes on but it is a big task here.
01:54 PM BST
FP3 - Current order
-
NOR 1:33.796
-
ALO +0.441
-
GAS +0.932
-
HAM +1.050
-
HUL +1.081
-
LEC +1.107
-
DOO +1.651
-
STR +1.717
-
TSU +1.988
-
OCO +2.314
Piastri starts his flying lap...
01:52 PM BST
FP3 - Norris goes fastest
Norris is tearing it up after two sectors, though Verstappen has set the fastest first sector. Norris crosses the line 1.050sec faster than Hamilton. Verstappen aborts his lap after running deep and wide at turn 11. The car did not want to turn in, or he carried too much speed in.
“Yeah, that’s ------- terrible,” he says on the radio. Looked it. Not even close to making it.
01:49 PM BST
FP3 - Gasly into third
Within three tenths of Hamilton’s fastest time. The two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Tsunoda are now out too. Again, these are not optimal conditions to run in, really. Lando Norris also out for McLaren and he is about to start his first hot lap.
01:44 PM BST
FP3 - Hamilton goes fastest
Hamilton is on a hot lap on the softs. Well, not quite full qualifying pace as he rounds the final corner and crosses the line with a 1:34.846sec, 1.563sec faster than Ocon.
A lot less grip out there in the late evening sun than there will be under the lights. Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari is out on track now, as are the two Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan.
Leclerc then crosses the line and goes second, within a tenth of Hamilton ahead. Some lap time to find for Ferrari after a disappointing Friday.
01:40 PM BST
FP3 - Hamilton aborts his lap
Ocon has set a lap time that beats Bearman, but very little else going on. Wind has picked up significantly since yesterday too. Ocon complains of bouncing in the lap.
01:36 PM BST
FP3 - Bearman sets the first lap time
It’s a 1:37.825, so some 7.2sec slower than the fastest time in FP3 yesterday. Lewis Hamilton is out there in the Ferrari, as is the other Haas of Esteban Ocon.
01:32 PM BST
GREEN LIGHT: FP3 begins
Nobody that keen to get out at the very start but we get a handful of them after a minute or so.
01:29 PM BST
Just a few minutes to go until we get going
Air temperature 33 degrees, humidity 46 per cent and track temperature 33c.
01:22 PM BST
A reminder of the constructor standings, too
I think McLaren will walk this one this season. Strong driver line-up and the best car.
01:20 PM BST
Norris does not think McLaren are uncatchable
Here is what he said after FP2 yesterday.
“A difficult day, just re-adapting back to the reality of Bahrain, the difficulties of Bahrain, which make it tough. It will make it exciting on Sunday, because the degradation is incredible today comparing to the test.
“It’s kind of weird today, because everything feels dreadful but I think relatively our pace was still in a reasonable place. I think a reasonable Friday. I think it’s just conditions. It’s just the temperature, it’s hot, it’s windy… it’s more the temperature which makes such a big difference. It is what it is, it’s the same challenge for everyone.”
“I just don’t think they turned up. Everyone just looks at the timesheets, they have no idea about the information on who turns up, who doesn’t… it’s like three-and-a-half, four-tenths around here, so that puts us back in the same position as the Mercedes.”
Norris has been consistent on downplaying McLaren’s advantage this season. Of course, the narrative that they are miles ahead does not suit him personally as it puts pressure on. It also goes some way to undermining his achievements.
Personally I don’t really buy that McLaren are miles ahead, so agree with Norris on that front. They are the fastest car by a few tenths, though they still have to make sure they deliver. And that is not always easy. However, they do look in exceptional form here, so disagree with him there.
01:09 PM BST
Current driver standings
01:01 PM BST
Verstappen says Red Bull ‘just too slow’
“[It] took like one lap, two laps to get into it, but still the gap was quite massive, so not entirely happy. Just struggling a lot with grip, feeling in general. The balance wasn’t too bad but just, yeah, off, and quite a bit of work to do also in the long run.
“We’re just too slow basically every lap, and it was honestly not a lot of fun out there in the long run. A bit of drift practice at the end there as well,”
12:49 PM BST
Watch: Alonso’s steering wheel falls off
One of the stranger moments of the day yesterday...
12:44 PM BST
Times after second practice
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Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1min 30.505secs
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Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:30.659
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George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:31.032
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Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:31.045
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:31.227
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Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 1:31.238
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Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:31.330
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Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari 1:31.576
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Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 1:31.584
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Carlos Sainz Jr (Spa) Williams 1:31.623
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Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:31.696
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Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:31.706
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Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber 1:31.772
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Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 1:31.788
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Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:31.825
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Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 1:31.870
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Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:31.947
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Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 1:32.024
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Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:32.382
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Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:32.496
12:33 PM BST
Good afternoon
Welcome to our coverage for third and final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix with qualifying for Sunday’s race coming later this evening. It is the fourth race of the 2025 Formula One season and looks likely to be the first one to be run in warm conditions, after fairly cool races in Australia, China and Japan. Who will that favour?
On the balance of everything we have seen so far in Sakhir, it will be McLaren. In yesterday’s second practice session (run under lights, the same time of day as qualifying and the race) they were comfortably fastest. Oscar Piastri’s lap time of 1min30.505sec was a tenth and a half faster than team-mate Lando Norris.
The next best man, Mercedes’ George Russell, was more than half a second off the pace with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc just a little further back. Regardless of what engine modes were being run and how much fuel teams were carrying, that is a lot of ground to make up.
Further down the field were Kimi Antonelli in fifth, Isack Hadjar in sixth and Max Verstappen for Red Bull. They were all between 0.7 and 0.8sec off the pace. Verstappen did not have the most comfortable session, complaining about his RB21 several times. He was the winner last weekend in Japan, but it would take a monumental turnaround for him to win tomorrow, you feel. I would not rule him out of podium contention, though.
It was a tough session for Lewis Hamilton again, who was well adrift of Ferrari team-mate Leclerc. The seven-time champion was more than a second off Piastri’s pace as Ferrari’s struggles appear to have continued despite bringing a new floor to this race. Behind Hamilton it was very competitive, with just 0.45sec separating Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda in 18th. The problem for Tsunoda, after a fairly promising showing in Japan, is that he appears to have been put back on the course that Liam Lawson was on, which led to his dropping.
Anyway, FP3 begins at 1.30pm BST and we will be here for all the updates in the final practice session before qualifying.
