Carlos Sainz tops the timing board with a 1:29.348. Which is just two-tenths slower than Max Verstappen’s 2024 Bahrain pole lap. The two Ferrari drivers, P2 and P3, were less than a tenth behind. Sainz also laps Bahrain the most, with 126 laps.
18 of the 20 drivers took the wheel today, with Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz having all eight hours of practice today. The other teams split their driver lineups between the morning and afternoon sessions.
It seems like McLaren and Kick Sauber are joining Haas in focusing on longer race runs. Lando Norris is shocking everyone with his incredibly long, consistent stints.
It wasn’t clear sailing for everyone, with Gabrelli Bortolleto struggling to break into the now smoother Turn 1 and Nico Hulkenberg and Oscar Piastri making slight contact, damaging McLaren’s front endplate.
The rain didn’t shy away again, with a little sprinkling on two out of two test days. However, today, Haas went out on the intermediate tyres. Haas is just one of two teams that brought sets of wet tyres to Bahrain for testing; Aston Martin is the other team but has not used them.
With just eight hours left of testing, everyone is still unsure of the pecking order for the upcoming season. Can McLaren stay ahead? Will Hamilton drive the Ferrari like he drove the Mercedes? Will Williams improve with their most experienced lineup in a while? And lastly, what are those air vents on either side of the back of the halo on the Aston Martin? All will be revealed by the end of the Australian GP.
MotorPost 
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