Red Bull’s Max Verstappen faced a relatively subdued performance on harder tires, finishing fourth overall.
The concluding day of Formula 1’s pre-season testing in Bahrain saw Charles Leclerc of Ferrari emerge as the fastest driver, edging out Mercedes’ George Russell by a mere 0.046 seconds.
In a day marked by notable performances and last-minute adjustments, Leclerc set a lap time of 1 minute 30.322 seconds on the softer C4 compound, securing the top spot for Ferrari.
Despite Leclerc’s dominance, the overall fastest time of the testing period belonged to his teammate Carlos Sainz, who had set a scintillating 1 minute 29.921 seconds the previous day. This was still a few tenths off last year’s pole position time at the same venue, indicating that most of the teams are still holding their cards close to their chest.
George Russell finished just behind Leclerc with a lap time of 1 minute 30.368s, utilising the softer C4 tyres on his Mercedes W15.
The day’s proceedings were not without their share of challenges and surprises. McLaren encountered early troubles, grappling with a clutch issue that limited Lando Norris’s track time to a mere 20 laps.
However, as the day progressed, several drivers made significant strides. Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu impressed with a late surge, securing the third-fastest time with a lap of 1 minute 30.647 seconds, closely trailing Russell.
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had topped the timesheets on the opening day, faced a slightly subdued performance on the harder C3 compound, finishing in fourth position overall.
The final hours of testing saw teams focusing on longer runs, providing valuable insights into their race pace and tyre management strategies ahead of the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix. As the testing period drew to a close, drivers seized the opportunity to fine-tune their setups and gather crucial data, setting the stage for an exhilarating start to the 2024 Formula 1 season.
With the Bahrain Grand Prix just around the corner, teams will now turn their attention to implementing the lessons learned during testing and preparing for the intense competition that lies ahead on the Sakhir circuit.
