F1 live updates: Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton on track for Day 3 of Bahrain testing. Follow F1 LIVE coverage of day 3 of the Bahrain winter tests at Sakhir.

F1 live, Bahrain test: day 3 of the first winter testing round gets underway in Sakhir, Ferrari resumes today from P1 with Lewis Hamilton – LIVE

Live Updates: Sakhir Track Action

F1 Bahrain Test Day 3 morning session: Russell leads ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen

12:02 – Morning session concludes: George Russell tops the timing charts, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

Session summary – Bahrain F1 Test

12:01 – Start practice at the session bell for Piastri: Drivers head back to the pits; the morning session is over.

11:57 – Hamilton returns to track on used soft tires for the final 4 minutes of the session. Gabriel Bortoleto also runs on soft like the Ferrari driver.

11:56 – Five minutes remain in the morning of Day 3: On track, only Oliver Bearman, Liam Lawson, and Valtteri Bottas remain, with Bottas recovering lost laps from the earlier stoppage around 9 a.m.

11:51 – Short stints of around ten laps for Hamilton and Verstappen conclude: Both drivers return to the garage, leaving only medium-tire runners on track: Bearman, Piastri, Lawson, and Bottas.

11:49 – Final minutes under warm conditions: Temperatures at Sakhir reach 31°C, with track surface at 41°C.

11:46 – Busy track: George Russell sits in the garage for several minutes. Only Colapinto and Lance Stroll are also idle.

11:44 – Just over 15 minutes left: Hamilton and Verstappen run on soft tires for long-run simulations. Ferrari posts 1:37.7, Red Bull 1:39.1.

11:39 – After earlier issues, Bottas resumes work on medium tires: 17 laps completed since returning to track.

11:37 – Hamilton posts 1:34.864: Verstappen returns after a quick pit lane stop.

11:34 – New soft tires for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari: He rejoins the track while Russell remains in the garage.

11:32 – Verstappen back on track: The Dutch driver starts a stint on new softs with half an hour remaining in the morning session.

11:29 – Track action slows: Only Bearman, Sainz, Stroll, and Piastri remain on track. McLaren 81 improves to 1:36.390, moving into P5.

11:24 – Top 5 on track: Russell continues to lead over Hamilton and Verstappen.

11:21 – Lap 19 for Russell on Hard tires: Fluctuating times for the Brit, ranging from low 1:39s to 1:40; last lap 1:40.216.

11:18 – 40 minutes before the end of the morning: Hamilton back on used soft tires.

11:12 – Russell leads in both laps and times (72 completed): Morning mileage leaders also include Lawson (65 laps) and Sainz (56).

11:09 – New soft tires for Verstappen: Hamilton in the garage. Russell continues long run on Hards, now lapping in 1:39.5.

11:01 – After a long forced stop in the pits, Valtteri Bottas is back on track with new Medium tires. The #77 driver is now on his fifth lap since leaving the garage.

10:57 – George Russell posts lap times in the high 1:38s to low 1:39s during his third stint on Hard tires. The English driver has completed 64 laps so far, making him the driver with the most track mileage on Day 3.

10:50 – Russell returns to the pits after an 18-lap long run on Medium tires. The team now fits Hard tires for his third stint.

10:47 – At the top of the timing sheets, Russell remains fastest with a 1:33.918, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari.

10:45 – Valtteri Bottas returns to the track in the Cadillac after nearly two hours in the garage. He is running on used Soft tires.

10:43 – No one is attacking the times in the last few minutes, but several drivers are increasing their total laps. After Russell, Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson have completed the next highest number of laps, both with 53.

10:38 – Russell continues his steady long run on Medium tires. On track with him are only Lewis Hamilton and Enzo Bortoleto.

10:31 – Hamilton tries a lap on new Soft tires, improving in some micro-sectors, but he does not beat his personal best of 1:34.209, setting 1:34.452 instead. The British driver does not challenge Russell’s top time.

10:28 – Hamilton returns to the track after several minutes in the garage. The Ferrari is now running on Soft tires.

10:23 – Oscar Piastri improves to 1:36.899 but remains in P6. The McLaren driver is now on new Hard tires.

10:21 – Lance Stroll fits new Soft tires on the Aston Martin. He sets his best time of 1:38.423, but remains in tenth position.

10:13 AM – Trouble for Cadillac: Valtteri Bottas has been off-track for over an hour. The team is currently investigating the cause of the stoppage to get the Finn back out before the lunch break.

10:08 AM – Two hours into Day 3, Carlos Sainz leads the mileage charts with 44 laps completed. He is followed by Liam Lawson (41), with George Russell and Franco Colapinto both on 34 laps.

10:07 AM – Oscar Piastri heads out of the pits on the Hard compound tires, while Russell continues his long-run simulation on a used set of Softs.

10:01 AM – At the two-hour mark, Russell remains the benchmark ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen. The Red Bull driver is now heading back out on a fresh set of Soft tires.

09:53 AM – Lewis Hamilton goes for a flying lap. The Ferrari driver improved his time in Sector 2 but a mistake in the final sector resulted in a slower 1:37.970.

09:51 AM – Russell is focused on high-fuel long runs, while Hamilton returns to the circuit on new Soft tires to test qualifying trim.

09:48 AM – Piastri returns to the pits. Currently on track: Russell, Hamilton, Sainz, Bortoleto, and Stroll.

09:46 AM – A quick pit stop for Russell before he dives back into his program. Meanwhile, Gabriel Bortoleto improves his personal best on the Hard compound with a :38.251.

09:43 AM – The Mercedes of George Russell is back out, utilizing a used set of the Soft compound tires.

09:42 AM – Lance Stroll puts the Soft tires to work, clocking a 1:38.697 to move up into P10.

09:32 AM – Following several long-run stints, the track has quieted down as most drivers return to the pits. Only Colapinto, Piastri, and Lawson remain on circuit.

09:29 AM – Improvements for both Colapinto and Piastri. The Argentine climbs to P5 with a 1:36.874, while the Australian McLaren driver follows closely in P6 with a 1:36.976.

09:26 AM – One and a half hours into the session: George Russell leads the field, holding a 0.291s margin over Lewis Hamilton.

09:20 AM – Alpine is back on track. Franco Colapinto begins his run on fresh Soft tires, jumping up to P5 with a 1:37.054.

09:19 AM – Russell starts a flying lap on Softs but immediately backs off, posting uncompetitive mini-sectors early in the lap.

09:16 AM – Piastri’s McLaren exits the garage on fresh Hard tires. Russell also rejoins the action on a new set of Softs.

09:14 AM – Max Verstappen switches to fresh Softs; he completes the lap in 1:35.425, failing to improve upon his previous best time.

09:13 AM – Hamilton is seen adjusting settings on his Ferrari steering wheel. The Briton improved in the final sector but crossed the line slightly slower than his personal best with a 1:34.343.

09:09 AM – Lewis Hamilton returns to the track for Ferrari, continuing his program on the same set of used Soft tires from his previous stint.

09:01 – Oscar Piastri moves up to seventh position: 1:38.187 for the Australian on used soft tyres.

09:01 – The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton exits the pit lane: brand-new soft tyres fitted on car #44.

08:59 – The McLaren of Oscar Piastri returns to the track after a long spell in the garage: just five laps completed by the Australian in the first hour of running.

08:58 – GREEN FLAG: on-track activity resumes. George Russell is the first to leave the pits on a fresh set of soft tyres.

08:51 – RED FLAG: session stopped due to the Cadillac of Valtteri Bottas. Track activity has been halted.

08:47 – The times after almost one hour of running:

08:46 – Lewis Hamilton improves in sector 1 and sector 2: 1:37.643 for Sir Lewis.

08:43 – Hamilton heads out of the pits once again: used soft tyres for the British driver, currently P6 with a 1:37.963.

08:39 – Track temperatures update: it is 10:40 local time in Bahrain. Air temperature stands at 27°C, while track temperature has risen to 34°C.

08:38 – After half an hour of running, George Russell leads the timesheets with a 1:34.075. Max Verstappen is P2, +1.2 seconds behind.

08:33 – After several laps on track, Lewis Hamilton brings the Ferrari back into the pit lane.

First half hour of day 3

08:29 – The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton is now running on C3 tyres, with the car covered in flow-vis paint for aerodynamic data gathering.

08:26 – George Russell’s Mercedes is also on track on C3 medium tyres.

08:16 – Franco Colapinto heads out on track with Alpine: the Argentine will take full control of the car for the entire Day 3.

08:15 – It is now time for Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin to begin its on-track activity as well.

08:10 – The Williams of Carlos Sainz and the Mercedes of George Russell have started their respective run plans: both drivers will be on track only during the morning session.

08:08 – Lewis Hamilton is among the first to head out on track on Day 3 at Sakhir: the British driver will run the Ferrari for the entire day.

08:06 – Drivers on track during the morning session: Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll, Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto and Valtteri Bottas.

08:04 – The circuit remains calm for now: the drivers are still inside their garages.

08:01 – 08:00 CET strikes: the day of running at Sakhir begins.

07:51 – Good morning and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the third day of testing in Bahrain: the Formula 1 cars are preparing to head out on track, with just ten minutes to go before the start of the session.

Day 3 begins in Bahrain, where the Formula 1 teams continue testing their new 2026 single-seaters at the Bahrain International Circuit. Follow our LIVE coverage of the session as the teams gather crucial data ahead of the new season. On-track action is scheduled to begin at 08:00 CET.

F1 Bahrain test: Day 3 driver line-ups

After finishing the second day of testing at the top of the timesheets with a 1:34.273 lap – set by Charles Leclerc – the Scuderia heads into the final day of the opening week of winter testing with confidence. However, it will be Lewis Hamilton who climbs into the Ferrari today, taking over from his Monegasque team-mate. The seven-time world champion will be at the wheel of the Maranello car throughout both the morning and afternoon sessions.

At McLaren, Oscar Piastri will lead the team’s programme during Friday’s running in Bahrain. The Australian driver will take the new papaya-liveried car on track both before and after the lunch break. Ferrari and McLaren are not the only teams opting to run a single driver for the entirety of Friday, 13 February. VCARB, Aston Martin and Alpine have made the same strategic decision, fielding Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll and Franco Colapinto respectively for the full day.

Among the top teams, Mercedes and Red Bull will rotate both of their drivers during Day 3. For the Brackley-based outfit, George Russell will begin work on the Silver Arrow in the morning before handing over to Kimi Antonelli in the afternoon session. As for the Austrian team, Max Verstappen will handle driving duties in the morning, with the Dutch world champion passing the car to his new team-mate Isack Hadjar after the lunch interval.

• McLaren: Oscar Piastri (AM/PM)
• Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton (AM/PM)
• Mercedes: George Russell (AM), Kimi Antonelli (PM)
• Red Bull: Max Verstappen (AM), Isack Hadjar (PM)
• Williams: Carlos Sainz (AM), Alexander Albon (PM)
• VCARB: Liam Lawson (AM/PM)
• Aston Martin: Lance Stroll (AM/PM)
• Haas: Oliver Bearman (AM), Esteban Ocon (PM)
• Alpine: Franco Colapinto (AM/PM)
• Audi: Gabriel Bortoleto (AM), Nico Hulkenberg (PM)
• Cadillac: Valtteri Bottas (AM), Sergio Perez (PM)