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Verstappen overtakes the Mercedes in final practice in Bahrain (PHOTO: Andy Hone / Pirelli Motorsport)
Max Verstappen cut the streak of Lewis Hamilton to be the fastest in the final practice of the F1 Bahrain GP.
Although the track conditions were different from those they will face in qualifying and the competition tomorrow Sunday, the Dutchman managed to overcome the Mercedes duo in the final part of this Saturday’s session, marking 1m28.355s, the best of the weekend so far.
This, despite the fact that its rear wing showed a rather unusual opening, being more aggressive than conventional, which forced it to spend extra minutes in pits.
Although he himself ruled out being in the fight, Verstappen chases Valtteri Bottas for runner-up; both are separated by dots.
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Hamilton, who stopped at the pit exit when the trial ended, was second with a deficit of 0.263s, while Bottas was third, at 0.366s.
The fourth position corresponded to Alex Albon, who recovered from yesterday’s accident on Friday to get within six tenths of his teammate at Red Bull and lead a group of 11 cars separated in one second. Carlos Sainz completed the top five positions.
The Mexican Sergio Perez he finished in 10th place, 1,317s behind Verstappen with 12 laps completed, in an uneventful session.
Qualifying for the Bahrain GP will begin at 8 AM (Mexico Time).
| P | PILOT | EQUIPMENT / ENGINE | TIME / DIF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda | 1m28.355s |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | a 0.263s |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | at 0.366s |
| 4 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull/Honda | a 0.663s |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren / Renault | a 1.100s |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri / Honda | a 1.117s |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren / Renault | a 1.212s |
| 8 | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri / Honda | a 1.230s |
| 9 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point/Mercedes | a 1.305s |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point/Mercedes | a 1.317s |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | a 1.329s |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | a 1.336s |
| 13 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | a 1.504s |
| 14 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo / Ferrari | a 1.615s |
| 15 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | a 1.828s |
| 16 | George Russell | Williams/Mercedes | a 2.204s |
| 17 | Romain Grosjean | Haas/Ferrari | a 2.297s |
| 18 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | a 2.404s |
| 19 | Kimi Raikkönen | Alfa Romeo / Ferrari | a 2.468s |
| 20 | Nicholas latifi | Williams/Mercedes | a 2.562s |
The entrance Verstappen overtakes Mercedes in final practice in Bahrain was published first in FASTmag.
