This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.
The chequered flag has fallen on the final day of testing. Russell is fastest today but Sainz has the quickest time of the test overall. Here’s the report on today’s action in Bahrain.
Six minutes of testing left and Russell nabs the fastest time of the day from Verstappen. The Mercedes driver goes to the top by just 0.021s.
Another spin at turn one, this time it’s Verstappen, who seemed to simply go in a bit too deep. The Red Bull driver speeds off without damage.
Ocon spins his Haas at the exit of turn one. He gathers it up again and continues with 25 minutes left on the clock.
With half an hour to go, Piastri has moved up to third place for McLaren, three-tenths of a second off Verstappen.
Verstappen takes the top time back from Albon with a lap on the C3s, setting a 1’29.566, leaving him just two-tenths of a second off the fastest time of the test.
Albon has taken a set of the C4 tyres, which are softer than those usually nominated for the grand prix at this track, and set a 1’29.650 which puts him at the top of today’s times.
Here’s how the times look as we head into the final hour of testing:
1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB21: 1’29.799
2. Pierre Gasly – Alpine A525: 1’30.040 (+0.241)
3. George Russell – Mercedes W16: 1’30.054 (+0.255)
4. Alexander Albon – Williams FW47: 1’30.071 (+0.272)
5. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari SF-25: 1’30.345 (+0.546)
6. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari SF-25: 1’30.811 (+1.012)
7. Oscar Piastri – McLaren MCL39: 1’30.827 (+1.028)
8. Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes W16: 1’30.888 (+1.089)
9. Lando Norris – McLaren MCL39: 1’30.943 (+1.144)
10. Esteban Ocon – Haas VF-25: 1’30.967 (+1.168)
11. Jack Doohan – Alpine A525: 1’31.239 (+1.440)
12. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin AMR25: 1’31.699 (+1.900)
13. Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber C45: 1’31.726 (+1.927)
14. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls 02: 1’31.761 (+1.962)
15. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin AMR25: 1’32.084 (+2.285)
16. Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber C45: 1’32.147 (+2.348)
17. Oliver Bearman – Haas VF-25: 1’32.361 (+2.562)
18. Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls 02: 1’36.135 (+6.336)
Stroll had a run in the Aston Martin but Alonso is back at the wheel now and the team is preparing to send him out. “Following an initial session in the car today Lance subsequently felt unwell,” said a team spokesperson. “Fernando will finish the test today.”
Ocon is getting a bit racy, having a look at Piastri going into turn four, but thinking better of it.
Albon has now reached the 100-lap mark in his Williams. Verstappen, the only other driver who has had his car to himself all day, hasn’t been quite as busy, managing just 62 so far.
Amusing scenes now a bird crosses the road in front of Ocon on the pit straight!
Verstappen has gone even quicker and taken over at the top of the times with a 1’29.844. That’s Red Bull’s fastest time of the test so far, and just under half a second off Sainz’s benchmark from yesterday.
A notable improvement for Max Verstappen there who goes third for Red Bull, a tenth of a second off Gasly.
Gasly posts another improvement in the Alpine and snatches the best time off Russell with a 1’30.040, 0.014s up on the Mercedes driver. The fastest time of the test outright remains Carlos Sainz Jnr’s 1’29.348 for Williams yesterday.
As we hit the one-hour mark in the second half of today’s test, Russell goes quickest for Mercedes, though that isn’t their best time of the test. Gasly, however, has done the best time for Alpine so far.
1. George Russell – Mercedes W16: 1’30.054
2. Pierre Gasly – Alpine A525: 1’30.282 (+0.228)
3. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari SF-25: 1’30.811 (+0.757)
4. Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes W16: 1’30.888 (+0.834)
5. Lando Norris – McLaren MCL39: 1’30.943 (+0.889)
6. Esteban Ocon – Haas VF-25: 1’31.124 (+1.070)
7. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB21: 1’31.209 (+1.155)
8. Jack Doohan – Alpine A525: 1’31.239 (+1.185)
9. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari SF-25: 1’31.258 (+1.204)
10. Alexander Albon – Williams FW47: 1’31.444 (+1.390)
11. Oscar Piastri – McLaren MCL39: 1’31.573 (+1.519)
12. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls 02: 1’31.761 (+1.707)
13. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin AMR25: 1’32.084 (+2.030)
14. Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber C45: 1’32.147 (+2.093)
15. Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber C45: 1’32.258 (+2.204)
16. Oliver Bearman – Haas VF-25: 1’32.361 (+2.307)
17. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin AMR25: 1’33.227 (+3.173)
18. Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls 02: 1’36.135 (+6.081)
Hamilton is next to run wide, he takes to the run off at turn 10 (near the bus stop, apparently…)
Gasly improves his time again, now on a 1’30.282, half a second ahead of Leclerc who set the pace before lunch.
Russell has a hefty lock-up in the Mercedes at turn eight but has nothing more than a flat-spot to show for it.
The session has resumed following that bizarre interruption and Gasly has hit the top of the times now in his Alpine with a 1’30.459. We’ve also heard from the FIA regarding that bizarre incident with a bus.
We’ve got another red flag and it’s a bit of a shocker – a bus has driven onto the circuit!
Gasly and Ocon – no longer team mates, of course – are first to head out. The screens are up at Aston Martin, who were supposed to be swapping between Alonso and Stroll for this sessions.
Welcome back for the final part of pre-season testing for the 2025 season. Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon will take over their team’s cars for the last four hours of running.
The first part of today’s test is done and eight more drivers have wrapped up their pre-season preparations. Here’s our report.
Interesting to note among those not joining in the practice start is Norris, who made several poor getaways last year which cost him badly in the championship fight.
Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar – last year’s Formula 2 title rivals – are the only drivers taking part in the practice start simulation. Bortoleto effectively won the title fight last year when Hadjar failed to get off the line at the finale.
With five minutes to go, the now-routine test of the Virtual Safety Car system and other procedures has begun.
Leclerc still leads Antonelli at the top of the times but the Mercedes driver has just overtaken the Ferrari on the main straight.
Now the session has resumed, Verstappen treats us to another position swap, this time passing Bearman’s Haas at turn 13.
The pair head into the pits, the session is about to resume again. Doohan, Norris and Antonelli are waiting to join the track.
The drivers returned to the pits when the session was red-flagged however Antonelli and Alonso on the circuit. It looks like the red flag was withdrawn and then thrown again, and they left the pits during that brief interval.
It looks like a piece of glass has fallen from a gantry over the track on the pit straight.
We’ve go a red flag with 47 minutes left in the morning test. Unlike yesterday’s this wasn’t scheduled, so there must be a problem somewhere.
A little mid-test racing action courtesy of Antonelli, who dives down the inside of Albon at turn eight. The Williams driver has a bright splash of red flow-vis on the left-rear of his car.
We’ve got an hour left in the morning session and Leclerc is still on top of the times:
1. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari SF-25: 1’30.811
2. Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes W16: 1’30.888 (+0.077)
3. Lando Norris – McLaren MCL39: 1’30.943 (+0.132)
4. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB21: 1’31.209 (+0.398)
5. Jack Doohan – Alpine A525: 1’31.239 (+0.428)
6. Alexander Albon – Williams FW47: 1’31.444 (+0.633)
7. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls 02: 1’31.761 (+0.950)
8. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin AMR25: 1’32.084 (+1.273)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber C45: 1’32.225 (+1.414)
10. Oliver Bearman – Haas VF-25: 1’32.361 (+1.550)
Is Verstappen unhappy about something? He raised his middle finger as he approached the Williams gantry on his way out of the pits a few minutes ago.
Norris appeared to carry a bit too much speed into turn 11 on that run, he has to work hard at the wheel to keep the car from running too wide at the exit.
No double duty for Alonso after all: Aston Martin have confirmed Stroll will drive in the second session today.
Through the test, Mercedes have been running FOM’s tilting onboard cameras. These usually give an unconvincing exaggeration of the camber in each corner, but Antonelli’s is swinging to truly comical angles now.
Antonelli puts up the fastest time of anyone in the first sector but loses time in the middle of the lap where he gets a little greedy with the exit kerb at turn 11. He posts a 1’30.932 which is slightly off his best.
Here are the times after the first hour. Only Norris hasn’t put a timed lap in so far. No team has beaten their best time of the test to date, Haas have got closest, Bearman lapping 0.6s off their quickest:
1. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari SF-25: 1’30.861
2. Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes W16: 1’30.888 (+0.027)
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB21: 1’31.442 (+0.581)
4. Alexander Albon – Williams FW47: 1’31.444 (+0.583)
5. Jack Doohan – Alpine A525: 1’31.812 (+0.951)
6. Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber C45: 1’32.225 (+1.364)
7. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls 02: 1’32.706 (+1.845)
8. Oliver Bearman – Haas VF-25: 1’33.677 (+2.816)
9. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin AMR25: 1’33.821 (+2.960)
There’s a brief yellow flag as a marshal jumps over the barrier to retrieve the piece of debris shed by the VF-25.
A problem now for Bearman as well as part of the bodywork has come off the left-hand side of the Haas. The engine cover has torn off.
Leclerc sets the fastest time of today with a 1’30.861 but the SF-25 grabbed his attention at the final corner where he got a little loose on the exit kerb.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli quickly down to business in the Mercedes, producing a 1’31.189, which puts him a tenth of a second ahead of Leclerc.
Aston Martin say they will “confirm our line-up for this afternoon in due course” so it’s possible Alonso could do the whole day.
Not a smooth start to the day for Aston Martin whose mechanics are now having to push Alonso’s car back to the garage after he experienced a problem on the way out of the pits.
One change to that driver line-up has been announced. Aston Martin say Lance Stroll “wasn’t feeling 100%” overnight, so Alonso will start the day in the car.
The remaining eight teams will split the running between their two drivers as they have done for the rest of the week. We’re expecting to see Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, Oliver Bearman, Isack Hadjar, Alexander Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto in action this morning.
World champion Max Verstappen is one of two drivers who will have his team’s car to himself for this final day. The other is Alexander Albon in the Williams.
This is the final official day of running for the teams before they gather in Melbourne for the first practice session of the season, two weeks from today.
Welcome to day three of testing for the 2025 F1 season on RaceFans Live. The test will begin at 10am local time (7am UK time).
Formula 1
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- Leclerc approaching first race with ‘more unknown’ about new car than usual
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- Red Bull haven’t made as much progress as expected, admits Wache
- Sainz on top again, Hamilton low on mileage: Key figures from pre-season testing
