Testing Day 3 Review – By Joe Murphy
Red Bull did not finish top of the leader board for the second day in a row as Charles Leclerc once again ended the day quickest as final day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit came to an end.
A lap of 1:30.322 on the soft tyre put him 0.4s ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell. Yet again red flags dominated the morning session, today being waved less than half an hour after the start of the session. This was because Perez encountered a drain covering and prompted an early track inspection. Lunch was skipped for more action.
It was a long session that followed, stretching nearly eight hours. However, the session did draw to a close to end this bit of F1 action from this track, at least until next week.
Leclerc’s time wasn’t being beaten. Temperatures started to drop and track conditions became more realistic of what we might expect when the lights go out ahead of the first race of the season next Saturday night. The night race should mean that cars won’t be expected to set any lap records.
What did we take from Bahrain testing. Well, Red Bull look quickest, the question is as to the extent of the margin. Ferrari look a step ahead of Mercedes, with McLaren and Aston Martin the other teams expected to compete for points on a regular basis.
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