Bahrain GP: Carlos Sainz fastest from Fernando Alonso ahead of Friday qualifying in Sakhir
In the last practice session before Friday's qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz secured the top spot, beating out Fernando Alonso.
Alonso was in the lead for most of the session, but then Sainz suddenly took first place with a time of 1:30.824. This was 0.141 seconds faster than Alonso, his fellow Spanish driver. Sainz made this move with only five minutes remaining in the session.
The third position was secured by Max Verstappen, while the top five were rounded out by Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris in fourth and fifth place, respectively. The time difference between the top five racers was less than 0.3 seconds. This sets the stage for an exhilarating qualifying round, which can be viewed live on Sky Sports F1 at 4pm on Friday.
George Russell from Mercedes claimed the sixth spot, while Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez followed closely behind. However, Lewis Hamilton was only able to secure the 12th position.
Last week, during pre-season testing, Ferrari appeared to be the fastest team. It seems like they didn't reveal their complete capabilities on Thursday, but Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc increased the output of their engines during final practice to get ready for the qualification round.
Nevertheless, the practice run occurred during daylight hours, resulting in a track temperature significantly higher than what is expected during the upcoming qualifying and race events. These nighttime events will be hosted in Sakhir.
We recommend using the Chrome browser to watch the video content more easily.
Hamilton, who is currently in 12th place, was not very far behind in terms of speed, falling short by only six tenths. He should feel encouraged by his impressive performance in the second practice session, where the weather and track conditions were comparable to those during the qualification round.
It appears that there will be a major battle for the top spot during the initial round of qualifications in 2024, with competitors such as Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and McLaren poised to give Red Bull a run for their money.
Bahrain GP Practice 3 Results
While the session was ongoing, Christian Horner, who is the principal of the Red Bull team, momentarily left the wall of the pit to converse with Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of FIA.
On Friday, it is anticipated that a meeting will occur between Ben Sulayem and Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1. The main topic of discussion will be the investigation that was conducted by the parent company of the team. This investigation led to accusations of inappropriate behavior against Horner, which were subsequently dropped.
Horner once again stated that the accusations of improper conduct against him are false, after what is claimed to be the evidence in the investigation into his behavior was leaked last Thursday.
We recommend using the Chrome browser to have an easier experience with the video player.
Thrilling Bahrain Qualifying Up Next!
Martin Brundle and Naomi Schiff, who work as analysts for Sky Sports F1, anticipate that the upcoming qualifying race at 4pm will be a thrilling event. Additionally, they will be providing pre-race coverage starting at 3.10pm.
In my opinion, the Red Bulls aren't doing well in the windy weather, but it's quite evident that they aren't excessively ahead like some individuals had thought after testing, Martin Brundle of Sky Sports F1 commented.
Naomi Schiff stated: "This has been extremely thrilling and constantly evolving. We've observed the Mercedes being fast, the Aston being fast, the Ferrari being fast, and obviously you can never underestimate the Red Bull.
What fascinated me the most was how close the top 10 racers were - they were only separated by about half a second. This makes me believe that anyone could qualify for the top spot today, as numerous teams are in contention. Mercedes has a speedy one-lap tempo, just like Red Bull, while Ferrari has also demonstrated it in the past. It's going to be an exhilarating day, to say the least.
Bahrain GP Schedule Live On Sky Sports F1
Catch all the rounds of the fresh season, commencing with the Bahrain Grand Prix, wherein the initial race is set to commence on Saturday at 3pm. Access all Formula One races and beyond by obtaining a NOW Sports Month Membership, which enables you to stream uninterrupted coverage of these thrilling events.
Subscribe To Sky Sports On WhatsApp!
You can begin to receive notifications and updates on the most recent and notable sports news, thorough analysis, detailed features, and videos through our exclusive WhatsApp channel!
Discover further information at this location.
