Key events
Here are the full standings from the third practice session. Not long until qualifying begins in earnest.
George Russell believes McLaren have the quickest car on the grid right now and that everyone else has some work to do.
This is what the British Mercedes man said:
They [McLaren] are a long way ahead in the middle sector, where the tyres are overheating.
A bit of work to do but I think we’re fighting for next best. I think it’s going to be close between us, Ferrari and Max. But unlike the first three races, I feel this race won’t be dominated by qualifying, it will be dominated by race pace and tyre degradation.
It’s hilarious that Russell is talking about Mercedes, Ferrari and … Max. Verstappen is a one-man team at this point.
A reminder that qualifying begins at 5pm. Stay tuned until then. Who fancies pole in Bahrain?
Practice: Oscar Piastri and McLaren were quickest in practice in Bahrain.
The Australian was was 0.668 seconds faster than Lando Norris and 0.834 secs quicker than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was third. Lewis Hamilton was fourth and then came the two Mercedes, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Max Verstappen was down in eighth with his Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda the 19th fastest of the 20 drivers who took to the track.
Things could be very different in qualifying, of course.
Preamble
What does the wild and wacky world of Formula One have in store for us this afternoon? The searing heat of Bahrain is our destination today and the question is: can Max Verstappen pull another rabbit from the Red Bull hat or will the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri restore their dominance?
Those questions (and more) will be answered over the next hour or two after a few laps of this inventively-named Bahrain International Circuit. So far this season, qualifying in pole position has amounted to a fairly hefty race advantage.
To properly whet your appetite, here’s our man Giles Richards with a scene-setter from the Middle East. Let’s get started.
