P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Hours three and four of the final day of F1 pre-season testing were completed without issues, following an earlier red flag after another loose drain cover incident at Turn 11.
Carlos Sainz maintained his lead in the timesheets after hours three and four of the final day of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, although his advantage has decreased. Despite Sergio Perez narrowing the gap to just 0.236s behind Sainz, the Spaniard’s time of 1m 31.247s set before the red flag still stands as the benchmark. Sainz set his best lap on the C4’s, while Perez’s best lap was on the C3 compound. Lewis Hamilton finished the fourth hour in third place, less than eight-tenths of a second behind, using the C5’s. As the session resumed in the second hour, all 10 cars quickly returned to the track, focusing on personal improvements and transitioning to long runs in the third hour. McLaren faced challenges as Lando Norris was forced to end his running early due to a potential clutch issue, handing over to Oscar Piastri. Valtteri Bottas and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll encountered issues in the fourth hour, with Bottas returning to the pits and Stroll impressively moving up to fourth place. Stay updated on all the F1 action with the 2024 F1 calendar, easily accessible on your smartphone or PC.
