Bahrain '25: FP3 Recap

At the start of the session track temperatures were pretty extreme, which delayed most of the teams from beginning their final practice of the weekend. An extremely hot track means those Pirelli tyres degrade at an elevated rate, and when you only get a certain amount per weekend, every set is crucial. Haas were keen to get out there however, as they promptly sent out drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon out on track first.

With the wind picking up, Bearman noted the track’s grip difference from the nighttime session the evening before. As the rest of the grid began to spill out onto the track, George Russell confirmed concerns as he fell into a 360° spin coming out of the 10th turn; later adding it was probably the least amount of grip he had ever felt inside of an F1 car. 

The Red Bull complaints began with Max Verstappen questioning the balance of his car after running off. The Dutch driver returned to the garage for a rear suspension change, and went back out onto the track to go 8th fastest overall. His new teammate Yuki Tsunoda had a more than disappointing session, as he went slowest of the 20 drivers in FP3. 

It was disaster for Niko Hülkenberg (who celebrates 15 years in F1 since his 2010 debut in Bahrain) when his car malfunctioned and went into anti-stall mode, sending him off and consequently triggering a virtual safety car. The troubles continued when Leclerc lost his left wing mirror for seemingly no reason, Alonso experienced huge amounts of understeer (but luckily kept his steering wheel attached this time), Norris pushed too far and got shunted off briefly by the curb, and Sainz dealt with engine braking issues. 

Pierre Gasly’s pace was impressive, as he managed to nab the 6th place spot for Alpine. He noted how quick the McLarens seemed compared to the other teams, and it’s true, they were rapid. Oscar Piastri continued his 2025 success story with a flying lap whilst the 10 minute mark counted down. The Woking-based team seemed cool, calm, and collected as they breezed their way into a 1-2 (Piastri P1 and Norris P2). 

Photo credit: "2013 Bahrain Grand Prix - Thursday" by CaterhamF1 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.