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Formula 1
Pre-Season Test
F1 Bahrain pre-season test - Day 3
Minute by minute updates on the final day of the 2024 F1 Bahrain pre-season test
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After its stunning 2023 season when it won all but one grand prix, Red Bull is the team everybody wants to beat and began the test in ominous fashion as Max Verstappen ended up over a second quicker than the field on the opening day.
But Carlos Sainz responded by topping day two for Ferrari, albeit on a softer tyre compound than Red Bull's Sergio Perez used, after red flag delays caused by a dislodged drain cover.
The Bahrain pre-season test will conclude on 23 February, with the day’s track action starting at 7am GMT (10am local time).
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Also joining him on track are Magnussen, Norris, Sainz, Perez, Ricciardo, Ocon and Albon.
Green flag
The green light is on at the pitlane exit, and Stroll gets the session under way.
As is customary during the early morning runs, we're seeing several cars in the garages covered in scaffolding to which is mounted an array of sensors that the teams can use to gather data.
Alas, four minutes before the session is due to begin we have a keen bean at the end of the pitlane. It's the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
To those who celebrate it, happy Drive to Survive day. The sixth season of the Netflix F1 docuseries will be available to stream from today. Fil Cleeren got an exclusive sneak preview, and shares his thoughts here.
Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon will drive for McLaren, Alpine and Williams respectively this morning, while Daniel Ricciardo will turn out for RB. Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas are first up for Haas and Sauber, but we're as yet unsure which of Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll we'll see first in the Aston.
So who have we got driving this morning? First off at Red Bull, Sergio Perez returns to the cockpit after logging a mammoth 129 laps yesterday. Lewis Hamilton did 123 and will also get another workout this morning in the Mercedes, while yesterday's pace-setter Carlos Sainz will be back in the Ferrari. All three will hand over their machines at lunchtime.
Teams have been pretty good on reliability thus far, with Williams the only squad to end up with a car stranded on track thanks to a fuel pump problem for Alex Albon on day one. They'll need to keep that record going today, as the next time the cars will be on track following the conclusion of the final test day will be for free practice one next week.
Sun
We're a little under 15 minutes away from track running getting under way in Bahrain. And the weather, as you'd expect, looks gorgeous.
It's not the first item of news we expected to be bringing you this morning, but it has emerged that former Ferrari F1 team principal Mattia Binotto has taken a job to help spearhead electric powertrain development with an Italian technology company. You can read about that here.
So, what did we learn from day two of testing? Jake Boxall-Legge breaks down the key themes for Plus subscribers here, while you can also watch Steph Wentworth, Alex Kalinauckas and Haydn Cobb discuss events in video form here.
That said, there are some things that can certainly be deduced from watching the cars trackside - like how susceptible they are to wind conditions, and how comfortable the drivers find them under braking - and also from what the drivers themselves say. In that light, Charles Leclerc's optimism yesterday was intriguing to note, as he said Ferrari has addressed the unpredictability worries that were apparent from the start of testing in 2023.
Of course, at this stage of the game reading too much into the times is always a dangerous task. There are any number of variables to consider, as there would be in a practice session where we don't know fuel numbers or engine modes. And of course, in true F1 tradition, there's nothing to gain by showing your hand too early. That was very much the tone coming out of the RB camp from Daniel Ricciardo yesterday.
Red Bull had plenty of people concerned after Wednesday's opening day, when Max Verstappen gapped the field by over a second. But Carlos Sainz bit back yesterday for Ferrari, albeit on a softer compound than Sergio Perez used on his Red Bull. Here's yesterday's report in case you missed any of the action.
Good morning everybody, and welcome to Autosport's live text commentary from the final day of Formula 1's pre-season Bahrain test. We'll be with you until the close of play later on, by which time we may have a bit more of a clue about what to expect from the third iteration of F1's ground effect machines...
By: Autosport Staff
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