FP3 report: McLaren blows away opposition, Charles Leclerc eight tenths behind | F1 Bahrain GP. McLaren topped the timesheets in Bahrain's FP3 session, with Ferrari far behind.

The three free practice sessions of the Bahrain GP feel almost like a verdict. In the first three races of the season, the MCL39 has already proven to be the best car in the field, but the gap it’s opening up on the other cars in Sakhir is unlike anything seen before. It therefore seems likely that pole position will be a private matter between the two Woking drivers. Charles Leclerc sends a positive signal and is the only one to keep the gap under one second. However, the gap remains very large. Below is the summary and results of FP3 of the Bahrain F1 GP.

FP3 Summary
The standings and development of the third FP3 session must undoubtedly be taken with a grain of salt. In fact, the final practice session takes place under a scorching sun, conditions that are very different from those the drivers will encounter in qualifying and the race. The session that determines the starting grid will in fact take place at night, under artificial lighting, with significantly lower air and track temperatures.

It will therefore be crucial for the teams to predict how the track will evolve and what the environmental conditions will be. Consequently, they will need to set up the car in such a way as to have the proper balance for qualifying rather than for FP3.

Indeed, there is very little track activity in the early minutes. The first cars to go out are the two Ferraris and the two Haas cars. The Maranello drivers had used an extra set of Soft tyres in FP2 and begin the session on a previously used set of Softs.

Lewis Hamilton goes to the top of the standings with a time of 1:34.846, just 57 thousandths ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. However, these times are still far from those seen in Friday’s afternoon session.

As in FP1, drivers complain over the radio about the extremely poor grip. Still, Saturday resumes just as Friday ended. The McLarens hit the track on a new set of Soft tyres and immediately go to the top of the table. Lando Norris temporarily leads the way with a time of 1:33.796, but Oscar Piastri beats him by over 4 tenths: 1:33.324 is the new benchmark set by the Australian around the midpoint of the session.

The Ferraris return to the track on the same used set of Softs after pitting for setup changes. Both Maranello drivers improve, a sign that the changes may have worked. Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin has meanwhile slotted in between the McLarens and Ferraris, momentarily taking P3.

With about 27 minutes to go, a Virtual Safety Car is deployed. Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber is stationary in the escape road due to technical issues. The marshals quickly remove the car, and the green flag is shown again.

On his third attempt, Charles Leclerc improves and displaces his teammate Lewis Hamilton from P4 by just 40 thousandths. Max Verstappen moves to within two tenths of Piastri and slots into P2 between the McLarens.

The Mercedes drivers complete the first part of the session on Medium tyres. This is a rather important decision for the rest of the weekend. In fact, the two Brackley cars will go into the race with only one set of this compound, while most of the other drivers will have two.

The session heats up mainly in the last 12 minutes, when all the drivers fit new Soft tyres for a qualifying simulation.