P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Carlos Sainz took top spot in the final practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen. Ferrari’s Sainz reserved his fastest lap on the soft tire for t…
Carlos Sainz was fastest in the final practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix, besting Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen. Sainz set his fastest lap on the soft tire in the closing minutes to edge out Alonso by 0.141s before the first qualifying session. Alonso had just surpassed Verstappen, who had been leading, by 0.097s with a minor error costing the Red Bull driver some time. The session was deemed unrepresentative due to the daytime setting ahead of the nighttime activities, with Lando Norris claiming fifth spot, only 0.294s behind Sainz. The field was tightly packed, with George Russell and Oscar Piastri close behind. Sergio Perez briefly led the session but ended up off the pace, while Nico Hulkenberg impressed for Haas just ahead of Lance Stroll. Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton were further down the order, with Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen trailing. Alex Albon led the backmarkers for Williams, followed by Sauber teammates Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas. Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were towards the back, with Logan Sargeant in 19th place.
