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The final practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying painted a potentially seismic picture for the weekend, with McLaren emphatically underlining their pace as Oscar Piastri delivered a blistering lap to top the timesheets, leaving rivals trailing significantly in his wake. Under the still-hot Sakhir sun, FP3 provided crucial final setup tweaks and qualifying simulation runs, revealing a pecking order that sees McLaren as the clear favourites, while Red Bull and Max Verstappen face an uphill battle.
Having topped both Friday sessions – Lando Norris in FP1 and Piastri in FP2 – McLaren continued their imperious form. While Norris initially set the pace on the soft tyres, it was his Australian teammate who truly stunned the paddock. Piastri unleashed a phenomenal 1:31.646s, putting him a commanding 0.668s clear of Norris's best effort on a slightly older set of softs.
The gap back to the rest of the field was even more stark. Piastri's advantage over the fastest non-McLaren was over a second initially, though Leclerc later closed this to eight-tenths. This performance wasn't just about one lap; both McLaren drivers looked comfortable and quick throughout, suggesting their pace is genuine and potentially race-winning around a circuit where they haven't tasted podium success since 2010. Piastri, in particular, seems to have found a sweet spot with the MCL38 around the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend.
Charles Leclerc emerged as the 'best of the rest' for Ferrari, slotting into third place. The Monegasque driver appeared happier with the SF-24, particularly benefiting from the new floor upgrade introduced this weekend. He was the only driver outside the McLaren duo to get within a second of Piastri's benchmark, albeit still a significant 0.8 seconds adrift. His future teammate, Lewis Hamilton, seemed less comfortable, ending the session down in P10 and continuing his struggles from Friday.
Mercedes showed flashes of pace but couldn't match the frontrunners. George Russell provided some drama with a spin at Turn 10, complaining about having "the least amount of grip I've ever had in an F1 car." Despite the spin and a late start to his running, he recovered to place fourth, but a worrying 1.181 seconds behind Piastri. His rookie teammate, Kimi Antonelli, continued to impress. Leveraging his track knowledge from junior categories, Antonelli put in a tidy performance to secure P5, faster than Verstappen and demonstrating his rapid adaptation. The Mercedes package looks consistent, but bridging the gap to McLaren before qualifying looks like a monumental task.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the session was the relative lack of pace from Red Bull. Max Verstappen, usually a master of extracting performance, could only manage P8, fractionally behind rookie Isack Hadjar and over 1.3 seconds off Piastri's ultimate pace. The Dutchman had moments, running wide and aborting a lap early on, clearly unhappy with the car's balance and requesting setup changes related to the suspension. While Red Bull have proven adept at turning weekends around, the deficit appears substantial this time. Yuki Tsunoda, driving for Red Bull according to the driver list but likely representing Racing Bulls based on context, had a difficult session, making a mistake on his flying lap and ending up P19.
Beyond the top teams, several drivers caught the eye. Pierre Gasly delivered a stellar performance for Alpine, securing P6 and inserting himself firmly into the Q3 conversation. His rookie teammate Jack Doohan finished P12. Isack Hadjar was arguably one of the stars of the session for Racing Bulls, his impressive P7 putting him ahead of Verstappen by 0.004s and showcasing his growing confidence after early-season jitters.
Williams saw Carlos Sainz continue to adapt, finishing P11 and seemingly happier with the car than in previous rounds, outpacing teammate Alex Albon (P13). Haas had a mixed session; Oliver Bearman struggled initially with grip in the hotter conditions (having missed FP1) and had a moment running wide, finishing P15. Nico Hulkenberg brought out a Virtual Safety Car when his car stopped at Turn 8 with an anti-stall issue, curtailing his vital qualifying preparation and leaving him P17.
Track conditions started hot (Track Temp 48C) but gradually cooled, though still not fully representative of the evening qualifying conditions. Pirelli's hardest C1, C2, and C3 compounds are in play, with most qualifying simulations performed on the C3 softs. Track limits were a recurring theme, with numerous drivers running wide. Discipline will be crucial in qualifying, as deleted laps on potentially single-lap soft tyres could prove costly. Leclerc also provided a minor incident when his wing mirror detached mid-lap.
Based on FP3, McLaren are the undeniable favourites for pole position, with Piastri currently holding the psychological edge over Norris. The battle for 'best of the rest' looks intense between Ferrari (led by Leclerc) and Mercedes (Russell and the impressive Antonelli). Red Bull have significant work to do if Verstappen is to challenge for the front row.
The fight for the final Q3 spots promises to be fierce, with Gasly, Hadjar, Sainz, Albon, and potentially Bearman or Tsunoda (if he recovers form) all vying for limited positions.
Qualifying under the lights is set to be a thrilling spectacle. Can McLaren convert their practice dominance? Can Verstappen and Red Bull pull a rabbit out of the hat? The stage is set for an intense battle for grid positions.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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