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# Everything you need to know about Bahrain FP3
- URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bahrain-fp3/
- Published: 2021-03-27T13:05:49.000Z
- Updated: 2023-09-16T17:01:47.000Z
- Description: Max Verstappen and Red Bull made it a clean sweep of Bahrain Grand Prix practice sessions on Saturday, with a time substantially quicker than Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton in second
- Author: Matt Beer
- Tags: Formula 1, #image-center-left

Max Verstappen and Red Bull made it a clean sweep of Bahrain Grand Prix practice sessions on Saturday, with a time substantially quicker than Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton in second.

---

**Key moments:**

\> Verstappen fastest by commanding 0.739s  
\> Gasly splits Mercedes to take third  
\> Sainz sixth for Ferrari on medium tyres  
\> Leclerc and Mazepin both have spins

---

Verstappen’s late 1m30.577s lap put him 0.739s clear of Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Mercedes had been back in its usual 1-2 formation for a long period thanks to doing its soft tyre laps earlier than Red Bull, but Hamilton and fourth-placed Valtteri Bottas ended up split by Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri. The two Mercedes were half a second apart.

Sergio Perez was a full 1.3s slower than Red Bull team-mate Verstappen in fifth.

Ferrari could take encouragement from Carlos Sainz Jr going an impressive sixth using medium tyres. His team-mate Charles Leclerc was 11th and had an early spin out of the opening complex.

> Slippin' and slidin' Charles Leclerc 🛹[#BahrainGP](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BahrainGP?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=the-race.com) 🇧🇭 [#F1](https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=the-race.com) [pic.twitter.com/IPQ32HWfVd](https://t.co/IPQ32HWfVd?ref=the-race.com)
> 
> — Formula 1 (@F1) [March 27, 2021](https://twitter.com/F1/status/1375785070116634624?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=the-race.com)

Kimi Raikkonen was a surprise seventh for Alfa Romeo, followed by Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and the leading McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo in 10th.

Ocon and Stroll’s illustrious team-mates were down in the midfield, with Sebastian Vettel 14th and needing a spell in the garage after his Aston Martin struck debris, and Fernando Alonso 15th in the second Alpine.

Lando Norris, the Williams and Haas made up the tail-end group. Nikita Mazepin had a spin in the middle sector but continued unscathed.

> A spin for [@nikita\_mazepin](https://twitter.com/nikita%5Fmazepin?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=the-race.com) in the middle sector 🔄[#BahrainGP](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BahrainGP?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=the-race.com) 🇧🇭 [#F1](https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=the-race.com) [pic.twitter.com/hXuX5FWXsn](https://t.co/hXuX5FWXsn?ref=the-race.com)
> 
> — Formula 1 (@F1) [March 27, 2021](https://twitter.com/F1/status/1375788353237479428?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=the-race.com)

## Practice 3 Results

| Pos | Name               | Car                   | Best Time | Gap Leader |
| --- | ------------------ | --------------------- | --------- | ---------- |
| 1   | Max Verstappen     | Red Bull-Honda        | 1m30.577s |            |
| 2   | Lewis Hamilton     | Mercedes              | 1m31.316s | +0.739s    |
| 3   | Pierre Gasly       | AlphaTauri-Honda      | 1m31.583s | +1.006s    |
| 4   | Valtteri Bottas    | Mercedes              | 1m31.855s | +1.278s    |
| 5   | Sergio Pérez       | Red Bull-Honda        | 1m31.908s | +1.331s    |
| 6   | Carlos Sainz       | Ferrari               | 1m32.108s | +1.531s    |
| 7   | Kimi Räikkönen     | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    | 1m32.224s | +1.647s    |
| 8   | Esteban Ocon       | Alpine-Renault        | 1m32.423s | +1.846s    |
| 9   | Lance Stroll       | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1m32.431s | +1.854s    |
| 10  | Daniel Ricciardo   | McLaren-Mercedes      | 1m32.477s | +1.9s      |
| 11  | Charles Leclerc    | Ferrari               | 1m32.482s | +1.905s    |
| 12  | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari    | 1m32.5s   | +1.923s    |
| 13  | Yuki Tsunoda       | AlphaTauri-Honda      | 1m32.677s | +2.1s      |
| 14  | Sebastian Vettel   | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1m32.755s | +2.178s    |
| 15  | Fernando Alonso    | Alpine-Renault        | 1m32.82s  | +2.243s    |
| 16  | Lando Norris       | McLaren-Mercedes      | 1m32.86s  | +2.283s    |
| 17  | George Russell     | Williams-Mercedes     | 1m33.323s | +2.746s    |
| 18  | Mick Schumacher    | Haas-Ferrari          | 1m33.422s | +2.845s    |
| 19  | Nikita Mazepin     | Haas-Ferrari          | 1m33.622s | +3.045s    |
| 20  | Nicholas Latifi    | Williams-Mercedes     | 1m33.959s | +3.382s    |