Formula 1: Day 3 Testing Review

F1 testing is complete in Bahrain, and it is time to analyse the times and review which teams look competitive and those who will struggle ahead of the first race next weekend.

Report:

Morning Session:

- Leclerc tops final morning session (1:31.024) for Ferrari.

- Russell second (+0.418), Drugovich third (+1.051), Perez fourth (+1.435), Gasly fifth (+1.738)

- George Russell completes most laps in important morning for Mercedes (83)

- Perez caused early red flag after Red Bull lost a sensor.

- Bottas caused red flag as he stopped on track with suspected issues with Ferrari engine.

- Oscar Piastri had a spin in his McLaren as their struggles continue.

Afternoon Session:

- Sergio Perez tops pre-season testing (1:30.305) for Red Bull.

- Hamilton second (+0.359), Bottas third (+0.522), Leclerc fourth (+0.719), Sainz fifth (+0.731).

- Alex Albon completes the most laps (136) for Williams.

Final Classification of the final day of testing (@F1)

Five things we have learnt:

1. Red Bull team & drivers confident to resume domination – Ferrari yet to show true pace.

2. Aston Martin the positive surprise of the test – look to be the best of the rest.

3. McLaren with a bad test, behind on development – could struggle next week.

4. Alpine & AlphaTauri the biggest sandbaggers.

5. Porpoising not completely eradicated but no longer a problem.

Predicted Running Order for Bahrain:

1. Red Bull

2. Ferrari

3. Mercedes

4. Aston Martin

5. Alpine

6. Haas

7. Alfa Romeo

8. McLaren

9. AlphaTauri

10. Williams

Constructors Review (Whole test)

Red Bull – A perfect test for the reigning champions. Absolutely no issues, the car looks like a good evolution, the drivers have been blatantly positive about their new car. The start of the season will be Red Bull’s to dominate, undoubtedly.

Ferrari – Ferrari never truly showed their pace in the test, but I am confident they are within a few tenths at least from Red Bull, and I expect them to be the main challengers to the champions at the beginning.

Mercedes – Their gap to the top two is closer than it was this time last year and they have fixed their problems. I expect them to be too far away to challenge for wins until the European season, with rumours of an upgrade.

Alpine – The biggest sandbaggers in pre-season. They did not appear to do a soft tyre run all test and remained near the bottom of the standings. I expect them to be challenging with Aston Martin early on.

McLaren – The biggest losers of the test. The car looked unbalanced and both drivers struggled to put a representative time. Zak Brown admitted they are behind on development, and they will struggle to get points for the first few races.

Alfa Romeo – Had a few issues reliability wise which will concern Ferrari (the engine providers). Overall, a solid test. Took the sandbags off late on and showed some decent pace. Zhou and Bottas should give them some good points.

Aston Martin – Dan Fallows has worked miracles at Aston Martin who the whole paddock is talking about. There is thought they could challenge Mercedes, but with Fernando Alonso that certainly is not reaching.

Haas – Look to be a solid midfield outfit, and they will be hoping their drivers will be prolific point-scorers this year. Good pace has been displayed during the test and they will be hoping they will be competitive.

AlphaTauri – Were fairly underwhelming all test. I think their driver pair does not compare well to the others and could struggle to build on the 9th they finished in last season.

Williams – ‘The best test in a decade’ has been heard from Williams employees. The pace looks good from both drivers, but their points will once again be limited. Under James Vowles, Williams can finally look to improve.

That is it, testing is completed! It has been exciting to bring coverage to you. Time to patiently wait for the race weekend where the season officially kicks off all over again.