What’s next in the standings? Things are mysterious on the side of the city of As Sakhir, where the circuit which receives the Bahrain GP In Formula 1. This Saturday morning (4), in the third and last free practice, Fernando Alonso I got over it Red Bull and current double world champion Max Verstappen and finish first.

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Alonso and Verstappen appeared on track for a final set of fast laps with less than ten minutes remaining in practice. Although at that time the first two positions were mercedes, there was no doubt that they would be crushed, as they were. Verstappen puts in a good lap and laps in 1min32s345. Alonso, a few seconds later, completed it in 1min32s340.

Only 0s005, yes, but that configure a new push of the Aston Martin about Red Bull. All this taking into account that FP3 took place in sunny conditions, in conditions very different from those which the teams and the pilots will face in qualifying and in the race. It’s something tense to wait for the next activities, at least.

Sergio Perez he still passed third, after that, and was even close, at 0s106. Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc It is george russell following, giving for the first time the feeling that Mercedes is not so far from Ferrari. Spear Stroll was seventh, with carlos sainz, Oscar Piastri It is Pierre Gasly finish the top 10.

The Bahrain Grand Prix Formula 1 continues with the classification scheduled for 12 p.m. [de Brasília, GMT-3]. On Sunday, the race is also scheduled at 12:00 p.m. O GRAND PRIZE tracks all activities LIVE and in REAL TIME and bring the CLASSIFICATION AND RACE STORY in partnership with Voz do Esporte.

Check out how FP3 went:

The opening day of the first classification of the 2023 season took place with the third and final free practice in Sakhir. Despite a session usually full of adjustments, the fact that the weather conditions are very different from the rest of the two activities still makes FP3 the less busy session of the weekend.

With the sun out and the track temperature reaching 42°C, the green flag cleared the pit lane for anyone who wanted to hit the track. Unlike the Friday sessions, there was no queue of cars waiting. Lando Norris was the only one to leave initially.

The great character of Friday, Fernando Alonso, was still at the garage, Aston Martin carrying out a check. Second to hit the track was Nico Hülkenberg, while Norris even set a timed lap, but it was very high and uncompetitive.

It was only after ten minutes that other people started to leave. George Russell opened a new line and was joined by Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz. Max Verstappen, however, wasn’t even in the car. The first complaint of the day came not from Norris, who had to struggle with the MCL60 in an attempt to put in a fast lap, but from Sainz: the Spaniard complained that the car seat had a crack.

Even after 15 minutes, more than half of the riders were still in the garage. Lance Stroll appeared, amid talk about his fitness following his wrist injury. The Canadian got out of the car with the help of the mechanics after yesterday’s FP2s and, at some point, admitted he couldn’t move asked by Aston Martin because of the pain in his hands.

The lead belonged to Lewis Hamilton, who clocked 1:33.508, and was just 0.015 ahead of Sainz. Both on soft tires, by the way. Charles Leclerc also appeared on soft tires after 20 minutes of testing. Stroll was also on the red stripe tires but couldn’t get ahead.

The two Alfa Romeos took to the track and transported Esteban Ocon, Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso, Finally. Shortly after, the two Red Bulls, both on hard tyres.

The next shot? Alonso in the lead! The two-time champion clocked 1:33.121 and clocked 0.374 on Hamilton’s time. Verstappen, on the other hand, suffered from hard tire grip and warned Red Bull. On the track you could see how the car was scampering at times.

With just over half of training spent, Alonso, Hamilton, Sainz, Leclerc, Verstappen, Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon and Sergio Pérez formed the top 10. Apart from Verstappen and Pérez, the only two drivers without laps on soft tires were Haas drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, who occupied the last two positions.

After about 35 minutes of testing, the track was again fairly deserted, with only a few drivers left in sim racing, as Red Bull tinkered with the side of Verstappen’s car. At Aston Martin, moreover, there was also movement in the car of Alonso. The next fastest lap to emerge came from Alfa Romeo, with Guanyu Zhou surging to second place.

Until Stroll jumps forward! If much has been said about the physical condition of the Canadian driver, he clocked 1min32s919 and took the lead with 15 minutes to go.

This, however, would be short-lived. The Mercedes then took to the track with killer instinct. Hamilton clocked 1m32s555 and put 0s364 on Stroll’s time. Russell was in second place, 0s176 slower than his companion.

Verstappen returned to the track with a new pontoon and opened up a fast spin with less than ten minutes to practice. Even with Alonso! What would direct competition look like?

Verstappen finished first and clocked 1min32s345, taking the lead. But Alonso arrived and exceeded by only five thousandths! Again, it was the green car ahead. Pérez moved up to third, while the Ferraris came in the final five minutes but didn’t even come close. Leclerc trailed Hamilton, while Sainz was also beaten by Russell and Stroll. Alonso, once again the guy to beat in free practice.

F1 2023, Bahrain GP, ​​Sakhir, FP3: