F1 Bahrain GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3 and Qualifying
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The circuit timing data states the wind is blowing towards the drivers going up to Turn 1 and given how much havoc it created in practice, catching or missing the gusts could be vital.
Here we go, the first F1 qualifying of 2021 is underway!
Both Williams and Haas drivers head out first to get an early lap in, which isn't so surprising going on practice pace. Russell leads that train from Latifi, with rookie pair Mazepin and Schumacher following behind.
Russell pits before finishing his first timed lap, as does team-mate Latifi, but trouble for Mazepin as he spins at Turn 13. So Schumacher provides the first timed effort to go top with a 1m33.816s. Mick, get that framed.
That early showing has woken up the rest of the teams, who all stampede out of the pits together. Maybe they are worried about seeing the initials MSC at the top of the times again.
Fully send it: 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 👊 Bulls head out for Q1 ⏱ #BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #ChargeOn 🤘 pic.twitter.com/bEwTgpVq3U
— Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) March 27, 2021
The timing screen is lighting up green and purple now, so lap times are incoming...
But here come the rest of the times, as Hamilton goes top with a 1m30.617s. It doesn't last long as Verstappen puts in a 1m30.499s.
Good evening Yuki Tsunoda, who splits Verstappen and Hamilton to take second place with a 1m30.607s. Very impressive.
TV replays catch Verstappen lose some carbonfibre after running over a kerb. He duly pits as expected, so his Red Bull mechanics will give his car a good look over for damage, with his place in Q2 effectively assured.
Now, crunch time for those trying to make it into Q2. Currently Ocon, Latifi, Russell, Mazepin and Schumacher are in the drop zone.
Every driver apart from the AlphaTauris and Verstappen are on the track but a couple, including Hamilton, are not on new tyres. Everyone else dicing for a top-15 place to make it into Q2.
Super lap by Russell with a 1m31.316s to go P7. He is safely into Q2.
Mazepin has spun again, this time at Turn 1, to bring out the yellow flags in that section which could hamper a few lap times.
Disaster for Vettel on his Aston Martin debut, his 1m32.067s means he doesn't improve on his personal best and he drops out of qualifying in P18.
Ocon is also out in Q1, having been caught out by those yellow flags when he started his lap. Race control has announced that all lap times set during yellow flags will be investigated after qualifying, so there could be some shake ups to follow.
Possible yellow flag investigations aside for now, here are the drivers out in Q1: P16 Ocon, P17 Latifi, P18 Vettel, P19 Schumacher and P20 Mazepin.
Sainz was the driver on the bubble at the end of Q1 in P15, but it could have been so much worse, as his Ferrari cut out towards the end of the session. The Spaniard managed to get back to the pits in his car, so the pressure is on for Ferrari to revive his ill car during Q2.
Q2 is underway with 12 drivers heading out on the track. Only Tsunoda, Gasly and Russell staying put in the garages for now.
The AlphaTauris have joined the fun now. Plenty of medium tyres on show for the start of Q2: on the Mercs, Red Bulls, McLaren and AlphaTauris. Everyone else on softs.
Hamilton tops the early efforts in the second session with a 1m30.085s, pushing Verstappen to second place who set a 1m30.318s. Interesting.
Perez and Ricciardo have lost their opening Q2 lap times for both exceeding track limits at Turn 4. That'll put the pressure on them over the closing minutes of this session.
TV replays of those Turn 4 moments for Perez and Ricciardo are pretty conclusive. Both went very wide so no arguments there. They may need to switch to the softs to fight for a Q3 place.
Russell, last of the drivers to head out on the track in Q2, sets a 1m33.430s on the softs to go P13.
Perez sticks to his guns by going out on the mediums again for Red Bull. He'll need, at the very least, a 1m32.047s to move ahead of Stroll and into the top 10.
Perez duly puts in a 1m30.659s on those mediums to go P4 as things stand...
Final lap time for Q2. What a pair of laps from the Ferrari drivers! Sainz goes top with a 1m30.009s, 0.001s faster than team-mate Leclerc. Blimey, but they were both on the softs.
Perez's effort on the mediums has not worked. He has been shuffled back to P11 as plenty of improvements from others arrive, some using the soft tyres. He's out in Q2.
Perez is joined out in Q2 by Giovinazzi, Tsunoda, Raikkonen and Russell.
That Q2 session... 🤯 Lewis and Valtteri head into Q3 with the fastest laps on the Medium tyre! pic.twitter.com/xG5hlPNKNN
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 27, 2021
Moments away from Q3, here are the 10 contenders: Sainz, Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris, Bottas, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Gasly, Alonso and Stroll.
Time to find out who will secure the first F1 pole position of 2021. Q3 is go.
Sainz, Hamilton, Norris, Bottas, Ricciardo, Verstappen and Gasly all out on the track early targeting two runs in this session. Leclerc, Alonso and Stroll remain in the garage for now.
Ricciardo posts the first time of 1m31.384s but is quickly beaten by Gasly's 1m30.014s. Strong lap by the AlphaTauri driver.
Here come the big guns, Bottas cannot beat Gasly's time but Hamilton can with a 1m29.549s to take provisional pole. But not for long as here comes Verstappen with a 1m29.526s! Verstappen on pole as it stands.
Advantage Verstappen, but it all hangs on the second and final runs that are coming up. Gasly remains third ahead of Bottas with Sainz in fifth.
Stroll, on what should be his sole Q3 run, is on the track on his own. The Aston Martin driver puts in a 1m30.601s to go P6.
Just before Stroll completed that lap, the other nine drivers in Q3 came out together. Everyone is battling for the ideal slot in the train, which is led by Bottas.
By: James Newbold, Megan White, Haydn Cobb
