Charles Leclerc finished his allocation of pre-season test days by setting the fastest time in the first part of the final day of testing.
However the Ferrari driver’s best time of 1’30.811 was almost one-and-a-half seconds off the team’s best time in testing so far. Warmer but still blustery conditions greeted the drivers for the third day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Not for the first time in Bahrain this year, the test was disrupted for an unusual reason. The session was red-flagged with just over three-quarters of an hour remaining after a glass panel fell from a gantry near the start/finish line onto the pit straight.
The panel shattered, and the session was interrupted for around 10 minutes while the mess was cleared. Once the session resumed, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso quickly headed out again – only for the session to be immediately red-flagged again due to a course vehicle on the circuit.
Once that was remedied, the session resumed once more. The entire hiatus had nonetheless been considerably less disruptive than the power cut which hit the first day of testing.
Only one team improved their quickest time of the test so far. Oliver Bearman set a 1’32.361 for Haas, seven-tenths of a second quicker than their previous best, though he remained at the bottom of the times. He also suffered a setback when part of the left-hand side of his engine cover broke off. Haas experienced a similar problem during their shakedown run at Silverstone.
With eight teams planning to swap the occupants of their cars during the lunch break, Leclerc was one of eight drivers who completed their pre-season running. Antonelli, who set the second-fastest time, was another, and kept himself busy on track passing Leclerc and Alexander Albon.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Norris also completed his test, setting the third-fastest time. Verstappen was fourth-quickest, but will continue running in the afternoon.
2025 Bahrain test day three midday times
| Pos. | Car number | Driver | Team | Model | Best time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’30.811 | 66 | |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’30.888 | 0.077 | 61 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | MCL39 | 1’30.943 | 0.132 | 57 |
| 4 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | RB21 | 1’31.209 | 0.398 | 47 |
| 5 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | A525 | 1’31.239 | 0.428 | 61 |
| 6 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | FW47 | 1’31.444 | 0.633 | 58 |
| 7 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 02 | 1’31.761 | 0.950 | 76 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | AMR25 | 1’32.084 | 1.273 | 50 |
| 9 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | C45 | 1’32.147 | 1.336 | 38 |
| 10 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | VF-25 | 1’32.361 | 1.550 | 59 |
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Formula 1
- “Certain people” lobbied FIA to drop me over “bias” allegation – Herbert
- 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
- Russell pips Verstappen to fastest time of final day of testing
- Pictures: 2025 F1 pre-season testing day three: Bahrain
