Carlos Sainz Tops P3 Ahead of Qualifying Session in Bahrain

Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr. topped the third practice session before the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix 2024.

Sainz climbed to the top from 15th with the best lap time of 1m30.824s.

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso finished second with a lap time of 1m30.824s.

Alonso was at the top for most of P3, however, Sainz managed to take P1 with 0.141s clear of Alonso.

When Max Verstappen switched to soft tyres, he jumped from 14th to 1st, however, he fell to second when Alonso topped the sheets again and fell to third when Sainz finished first. 

Although the three-time F1 world champion finished third,  there are speculations that Red Bull is hiding its potential in these practice sessions. 

Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez continued P3 with hard tyres, unlike his teammate. Perez had climbed to second earlier in the session, but he finished eighth. 

Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc finished fourth and McLaren's Lando Norris ranked third towards the last ten minutes of the session, but he finished fifth. 

Norris was still able to secure a position in the top five despite experiencing a late set-up change during P3. 

Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri finished seventh falling from the fifth spot he had secured earlier in the session. 

Mercedes' George Russell finished sixth, even though he was at the top earlier in P3. His teammate, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished 12th, which is disappointing after he topped the second practice session on Thursday. 

Haas' Nico Hulkenberg made it to the top ten again at ninth in the P3 and Alonso's teammate Lance Stroll finished tenth. 

RB's Daniel Ricciardo, who topped the first practice session, finished eleventh in P3.

The qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix will take place on Friday evening, which will determine the lineup for the grid on Saturday, Mar. 2 for the final race!