F1 LIVE: FP3 of the Bahrain GP is underway, follow the LIVE Commentary of the last session before qualifying, with Ferrari looking for the final adjustments. On Friday, McLaren dominated, fast and balanced throughout the track, while the Maranello team is trying to find the right setup with the new updated package. The new floor promises better performance, but it is not yet a true corrective solution.
The Bahrain weekend is heating up, after two challenging and, in some ways, unrepresentative practice sessions. The teams had to contend with the intense heat of Sakhir, along with the dust brought onto the track by the wind. Therefore, the data from Free Practice 1 was not very indicative, while the MCL39 set the pace once night fell. However, there is good news for Ferrari.
The Prancing Horse team brings to the track an important first evolutionary step of the SF-25 – a detailed analysis of which can be found in this article – already approved some time ago and primarily aimed at improving the car’s performance. Not yet a true corrective – that will take more time – but nonetheless a step forward in the difficult comeback against rivals.
Bahrain FP3: Ferrari looking for confirmation with the new floor
Friday in Bahrain cannot offer a definitive assessment of Ferrari’s new package. Too many variables were at play that prevented the Maranello team from chasing a lap time, despite Charles Leclerc’s fourth place in Free Practice 2. The gap to McLaren, about five tenths, should not be taken as particularly telling, but the data feedback is positive.
The new floor introduced on the SF-25 works and delivers the improvements seen in the simulator. This means there is correlation between the factory data and the track, a fundamental prerequisite for continuing development of the car. While there is still uncertainty over the car’s real “flaw,” we can expect a true corrective update in the upcoming Grands Prix.
LIVE: Live Commentary of Free Practice 3 from Bahrain
Free Practice 3 of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the final session before qualifying, will start at 14:30 Italian time. Our Live Commentary, during which we will cover all the on-track action, will begin at 14:15 in this article
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