Sainz quickest in disrupted start to final test day

Carlos Sainz Jnr topped the timing screens as the final day of testing reached its original scheduled stopping point.

However the running continued, having been suspended for more than an hour earlier in the day due to another broken drain cover. Sainz, who also finished yesterday’s test on top, was two tenths of a second faster than Red Bull’s Sergio Perez after the first four hours.

Kevin Magnussen set the first time of the day with a 1’36.962 on the C3 compound, before Sainz smashed that with a 1’32.017 with the red-marked C4 tyres. After being sent out on track with a large aero rake on the rear of his RB, Daniel Ricciardo had to return to the pits as the bottom structure appeared to come apart.

Half an hour into the session, the red flag appeared for the first time. Like Thursday’s early session, a drain cover had come loose outside of the track kerbing on the approach to turn 11, leading to a lengthy stoppage of over an hour while repair work was carried out under the supervision of FIA race director Niels Wittich.

Running eventually resumed at 11:45am local time after an hour and 13 minute delay. It was decided that the remaining time would be run continuously, without the scheduled lunch break. All 10 drivers who had begun the day quickly resumed their various programmes back on track.

There were no major improvements at the top of the timing screen as running resumed, although Perez did put in a new personal best time of 1’31.647. Soon after, he appeared to get in the way of Lewis Hamilton through the fast sweepers of turns six and seven, forcing the Mercedes driver to back out of his flying lap.

Bottas spent considerable time in the Sauber garage as the team worked on his C44. Perez climbed out of his car after three hours had passed but returned to the cockpit to continue. Meanwhile, at Haas, Magnussen was seen being handed a hammer in the cockpit of his car, presumably to carry out makeshift repairs to something inside it.

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As the fourth hour was completed, Sainz’s 1’31.247 remained the best time of the day, but significantly slower than his own best time of the test from Thursday. Perez was second quickest, two tenths slower than the Ferrari, with Hamilton a further half a second back in third.

Magnussen covered the furthest distance of the afternoon with 80 laps in his Haas, with Ricciardo putting in 70 laps in the RB. McLaren had the fewest laps over the opening four hours with 20.

2024 Formula 1 pre-season Bahrain test, Day three times after four hours:

Pos.	Car number	Driver	Team	Model	Best time	Gap	Laps
1	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	SF-24	1’31.247		62
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	RB20	1’31.483	0.236	50
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	W15	1’31.999	0.752	49
4	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	AMR24	1’32.038	0.791	46
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	MCL38	1’32.108	0.861	20
6	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	FW46	1’32.583	1.336	34
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	VF-24	1’33.053	1.806	80
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	A524	1’33.079	1.832	55
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Sauber	C44	1’33.528	2.281	28
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB	RB01	1’37.015	5.768	70

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