F1 testing Day 3 live: Ferrari vs Mercedes fight at the front in Bahrain. Follow our live coverage of Day 3 of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain.

The afternoon session of the final day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain gets underway with Ferrari and Mercedes battling for the top positions. The leading teams are beginning to show their true pace as preparations intensify ahead of the new season. Follow our LIVE coverage for all the updates from the paddock and the track.

17:04 – The third day of pre-season Formula 1 testing in Bahrain has concluded: here is the final CLASSIFICATION and RESULTS with all times.

16:54 – 6 minutes before the end of the session, FIA tests for the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car begin.

16:50 – Shocking: Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari stops on track. Red flag ten minutes before the session ends.

16:41 – Mistake for Hadjar! He stops at the Mercedes garage, and the mechanics urge him to move as Antonelli was behind him.

16:36 – Oscar Piastri returns to the pits, ending his long run.

16:33 – With 30 minutes remaining in the session, the official FIA live timing unfortunately froze. From this point onward, we no longer have complete lap time references for all drivers on track.

16:29 – The first timed reference for Aston Martin is 1:38.165, exactly 4.5 seconds behind Mercedes. Unfortunately, the car appears very tricky through the corners.

16:27 – Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin returns to the track on new C3 tires.

16:23 – Red Bull stops in the garage, with the Austrian team carrying out significant work on the RB22.

16:17 – With 40 minutes remaining in the session, no red flags have appeared yet, despite minor issues for the teams struggling the most.

16:09 – At the moment, the driver with the most laps completed is Oscar Piastri, with an impressive 140 laps.

16:05 – As seen on Sky images, flow-viz is present on Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, covering the front suspension and the initial section of the floor.

16:03 – Currently on track: Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Esteban Ocon, Isack Hadjar, Franco Colapinto, Sergio Perez, and Alexander Albon.

16:02 – Television coverage finally begins for the last hour of testing. Now we can see the cars’ behavior on track with our own eyes.

Final hour of Bahrain testing begins

15:57 – The first comments arrive regarding Ferrari’s new car.

15:49 – Mercedes’ long run is very strong, with Antonelli consistently lapping at 1:39.8 on C3 tires.

15:45 – After a brief pit stop, Ferrari returns immediately to the track on hard tires.

15:42 – Antonelli, Hamilton, and Hadjar are running race pace simulations. Hadjar is following Ferrari car number 44 at a very close distance.

15:36 – Quick summary of the top speeds recorded so far. The fastest power unit so far belongs to the Red Bull-Ford.

15:27 – Piastri is currently in his second race stint, lapping in the high 1:39s on fresh yellow tires, while Hamilton is slightly slower on used red tires.

Mercedes youth on fire: Antonelli hits the top

15:23 – Andrea Kimi Antonelli continues to find time in the W17. The Italian youngster has just improved his personal best, clocking a 1:33.669 on the C3 tire compound.

15:07 – Earlier, Antonelli had already signaled his intent with a successful time attack. By posting a 1:33.900, he momentarily claimed the fastest time of the day, edgeing out his teammate George Russell.

14:52 – Even in his initial afternoon runs, Antonelli looked comfortable. He posted a 1:34.491 early in the session, showing that despite having fewer laps under his belt than some veterans, his feeling with the new Mercedes is already very strong.

Race simulations and technical programs

15:27 – Oscar Piastri is currently deep into his second stint of a race simulation. The McLaren driver is lapping in the high 1:39s on a fresh set of yellow-marked Medium tires. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is currently slightly slower, though he is running on a used set of Soft tires.

15:14 – Franco Colapinto is putting together an impressive stint, likely simulating the second half of a Grand Prix on the C2 compound. Conversely, Piastri’s times have appeared slower during specific phases, potentially due to different testing objectives.

15:03 – Detailed micro-sector analysis suggests that McLaren’s current pace fluctuations are intentional. Piastri appears to be focusing heavily on battery management and energy recovery systems rather than outright speed.

15:01 – At the start of the third hour, Piastri began his long-run evaluation with an initial attack time of 1:40.716.

Mid-afternoon timing classifications

15:11 – Here is a summary of the lap times and mileage as the afternoon progresses:

Track conditions in Sakhir

15:21 – Temperatures in Bahrain are beginning to drop as the sun sets. The air temperature is currently 28°C, with the track surface at 28.8°C. Humidity is on the rise, now measured at 29%, which will alter the engine performance and cooling dynamics for the final two hours of the test.

2:46 PM – Mistake for Hamilton in the Snake section. The Ferrari driver ruins a stint that had looked very promising up to that point.

2:43 PM – Hadjar also attempted a push lap on C3 tyres, still quite far off the morning’s benchmark times: 1:35.976.

2:42 PM – Piastri back on a qualifying simulation: 1:34.459, six tenths off Russell’s fastest time.

2:40 PM – Plenty of action on track: Hamilton, Piastri, Lawson, Hadjar, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Ocon and Albon all circulating.

2:38 PM – Antonelli’s first recorded times are fairly high, a 1:37.936. He has been on track for five laps, but unfortunately we don’t know which tyre compound he is running.

2:37 PM – Hamilton is simulating the opening phase of the race on used C3 tyres. For now, his lap times are hovering around the 1:39.3 mark.

2:34 PM – Mercedes finally heads out on track. Now we just have to wait and see what kind of programme they will run this afternoon.

2:31 PM – Piastri improves further on a new set of tyres with a 1:34.721. The Australian is pushing hard, although none of his micro-sectors are purple. Hamilton is back out on track as well.

2:28 PM – Quick recap on conditions in Bahrain: air temperature at 29.9°C, track temperature at 33.6°C, with humidity at 23.1%.

14:22 – Mercedes still absent from the track

Almost one and a half hours into the final test session, the major absentee is Mercedes. The Brackley-based team has not yet sent Andrea Kimi Antonelli out on track. It remains to be seen whether this is due to a technical issue or simply part of a reduced afternoon programme.

14:17 – Hamilton returns to the pits

After completing three laps on C3 tyres, Lewis Hamilton returns to the pits. Meanwhile, McLaren continues its programme with Oscar Piastri, who is currently on his eighth lap using the C3 compound.

14:14 – Early driver market rumours

The 2026 World Championship has not even started yet, and the first rumours regarding the 2027 driver market are already beginning to circulate in the paddock. Click here for more details.

14:09 – Drivers currently on track

The drivers currently out on track are: Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez.

14:06 – McLaren sets first reference time

McLaren posts its first representative time of the afternoon: 1:35.302, which is 1.4 seconds slower than George Russell’s benchmark.

14:02 – Piastri back out on new C3 tyres

Oscar Piastri has just returned to the circuit on a fresh set of C3 tyres. Will he attempt a time attack?

The first time attacks begin in Bahrain

13:59 – Overall classification of the final test day

13:49 – Hamilton improves on C3

Lewis Hamilton is back on track with the C3 compound and immediately sets a 1:34.533, just three tenths slower than his best time recorded in the morning session.

13:43 – Mercedes still missing

The only top team not currently on track is Mercedes. Are there issues with the car, or is the team waiting before launching into a shorter afternoon run plan?

13:42 – Piastri posts 1:36.234 on C2

After several warm-up laps in the 2-minute range, Oscar Piastri records a 1:36.234 on C2 tyres.

13:38 – Short run for Hamilton

Following a 1:39.575 lap on used C3 tyres, Lewis Hamilton immediately returns to the pits.

13:36 – Track getting busier

The circuit is beginning to fill up. Currently circulating are Hamilton, Piastri, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon.

13:34 – Ferrari finally sends Hamilton out

Ferrari finally releases Lewis Hamilton onto the track, with the Scuderia running used C3 tyres.

13:33 – Piastri back out, Hamilton waiting

Oscar Piastri returns to the track on a fresh set of C2 tyres, while Hamilton remains in the Ferrari garage.

13:31 – First half hour update

Thirty minutes into the session, the drivers currently on track are Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon.

First 30 minutes of the final test day

13:28 – Ferrari still in the garage

Ferrari remains in the pits for the time being with Lewis Hamilton.

13:21 – Aston Martin joins the action

Aston Martin finally sends Lance Stroll out on track. Will the team be able to solve the power unit issues encountered earlier?

13:19 – Lawson moves into P8

Liam Lawson immediately sets a competitive 1:37.308, placing him eighth, just behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz.

13:17 – Lawson on new C3 tyres

Liam Lawson heads out on a new set of C3 tyres.

13:11 – Red Bull begins work

Ten minutes into the session, Red Bull starts its programme with Isack Hadjar. Meanwhile, first impressions from the Aston Martin garage begin to emerge.

13:07 – First car on track

Franco Colapinto is the first driver to begin the afternoon programme.

13:00 – Green light

The green light is shown and the afternoon session of the final day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain officially begins.

Start of the third day afternoon session in Bahrain

12:58 – Morning session recap

12:52 – Weather conditions in Bahrain

Air temperature in Bahrain currently stands at 30.7°C, while track temperature is 40.5°C. Humidity is measured at 45.6%.

12:50 – Ten minutes to go

Ten minutes remain before the green flag. The final afternoon session of the F1 tests is about to begin.

12:15 – Morning “workhorse” award

The morning “workhorse of the day” award goes to three tireless drivers who logged extensive mileage: George Russell (78 laps), Liam Lawson (84 laps) and Oscar Piastri (73 laps).

12:05 – Lunch break in Bahrain

It is currently quiet at the Bahrain circuit as all teams are on their lunch break. In the afternoon, Lewis Hamilton, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar will represent the four top teams. Joining them on track will also be Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto and Sergio Perez.

12:00 – Welcome to our live coverage

Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of the final afternoon session of F1 testing in Bahrain. The morning was dominated by three top teams: Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. All teams alternated between long-run simulations and qualifying-style performance runs. Mercedes and Ferrari fought closely for P1, with Red Bull approximately one second behind the benchmark pace.