Full Race Weekend LIVE Coverage
Bahrain Grand Prix
Bahrain International Circuit
Race: Podium
1
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
Nationality
2
Max Verstappen Red Bull
Nationality
3
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes
Nationality
4
Lando Norris McLaren
Nationality
Bahrain International Circuit RACE TRACK, 28 Mar 2021
Winner
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
live

24 Mar

LIVE | 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix

All 20 drivers competing in the 2021 Formula 1 championship
All 20 drivers competing in the 2021 Formula 1 championship
Clive Mason
Last Updated
Live News Feed
Go to start

28 March 18:45

Thanks for joining us. We'll see you in two weeks' time for the Italian Grand Prix. Goodbye!

28 March 18:42

What an epic race! We're in for a truly gripping tussle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen for the 2021 Drivers' championship.

28 March 18:40

Hamilton wins!! What a race! He crosses the finish line first, just 0.7sec ahead of Verstappen.

28 March 18:39

It's the final lap, leaving Verstappen with one more chance to take the win from Hamilton.

28 March 18:37

Verstappen lost time to Hamilton, giving the Mercedes driver some breathing room with two laps to go.

28 March 18:35

Hamilton is back in first again, Verstappen is on the attack again.

28 March 18:35

What a move, but Verstappen gained the position off track.

28 March 18:34

VERSTAPPEN!!!!!!!

28 March 18:32

It's 0.8sec!

28 March 18:32

Hamilton locks up! The gap is 1.0sec!

28 March 18:30

1.5sec the gap between Verstappen and Hamilton.

28 March 18:27

The incident between Vettel and Ocon under investigation. We should have a verdict in the next few minutes or after the race.

28 March 18:24

With 10 laps remaining, Verstappen is 4.0sec behind Hamilton.

28 March 18:22

Vettel damages his front wing after driving into the rear of Ocon's car.

28 March 18:19

Verstappen's gap to Hamilton is 5.2sec...

28 March 18:16

Verstappen is 7sec behind Hamilton, with 15 laps remaining. In a few laps time we'll have a proper scrap for first place.

28 March 18:13

Perez is in the pits again for his third stop. Verstappen is in the pits, as well. It's going to be a strong finish between him and Hamilton.

28 March 18:10

Mercedes and Hamilton warned about exceeding track limits.

28 March 18:05

Tsunoda is in the pits and rejoins in 13th place.

28 March 18:03

Bottas chasing down Leclerc, but the Ferrari man dips into the pits.

28 March 18:00

Drama for Mercedes! Right front tyre stuck on Bottas' car. He drops from third to fifth. He was stationary for 10sec!

28 March 17:57

Mercedes hopes Hamilton will complete the race on this new, fresh set of Hard tyres. This opens up the race again as it's suddenly advantage Verstappen/Red Bull.

28 March 17:55

Hamilton is pitting!

28 March 17:53

Perez passing Stroll for 7th.

28 March 17:49

Vettel is yet to pit and is dropping down the order at an alarming pace. He is currently in 13th place.

28 March 17:48

Verstappen is 4.0sec behind Hamilton, closing the gap at a steady pace. We're in for a strong finish if this build-up is to be believed.

28 March 17:45

What a scrap! Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) jostling for eighth place! 

28 March 17:44

Toto Wolff telling Valtteri Bottas to hunt Verstappen down. He is 2.5sec behind the Red Bull driver.

28 March 17:42

Hamilton is on the Hard tyre, while Verstappen is on the Medium. We could be in for a good scrap in a few laps' time.

28 March 17:40

Perez is up into fourth place after starting the race from the pit lane.

28 March 17:39

Verstappen drops the lead to Hamilton. The decision to keep Verstappen out could be to Red Bull's detriment...

28 March 17:36

Interesting developments as Red Bull opts to keep Verstappen out and not pit him. This could play into Hamilton's hands and see the Austrian team throw away an almost certain victory. Could...

28 March 17:28

Leclerc is sandwiched between the two McLarens. Is Norris backing the Ferrari driver up into the clutches of his team mate, Daniel Ricciardo?

28 March 17:24

Norris passes Leclerc down the main straight for fourth place. Stroll passes Alonso for seventh.

28 March 17:23

Lando Norris getting his McLaren on Leclerc's tail. That McLaren's got speed!

28 March 17:22

Verstappen's lead over Hamilton is 1.7 seconds.

28 March 17:20

Bottas regains third from Leclerc, but Verstappen is experiencing troubles with his race car.

28 March 17:18

After 5 laps, Verstappen leads from Hamilton, Leclerc, and Bottas.

28 March 17:17

Virtual safety car.

28 March 17:17

Mick Schumacher has an off, as well. He is more than 20sec behind the race leaders. Expect him in the pits at the end of the lap.

28 March 17:14

Safety in this lap!

28 March 17:10

Max Verstappen complaining about a 'weird feeling' on the throttle.

28 March 17:10

Safety car is out to lead the grid around the track as marshals clear the stricken Haas.

28 March 17:09

Accident in the opening few turns. It's Nikita Mazepin who made contact with the barriers.

28 March 17:08

And it's lights out!
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#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:34.918
1:32:03.897
56
2
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:34.727
0.745
56
3
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:32.090
37.383
56
4
Nationality
Lando Norris
McLaren
1:35.733
46.466
56
5
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
1:34.755
52.047
56
6
Nationality
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:36.951
59.090
56
7
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
1:35.823
66.004
56
8
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
1:35.760
67.100
56
9
Nationality
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
1:36.755
85.692
56
10
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:38.600
86.713
56
11
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:35.960
88.864
56
12
Nationality
Antonio Giovin...
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:35.788
1 LAP
55
13
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
1:36.346
1 LAP
55
14
Nationality
George Russell
Williams
1:36.217
1 LAP
55
15
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin
1:37.560
1 LAP
55
16
Nationality
Mick Schumacher
Haas
1:37.351
1 LAP
55
R
Nationality
Nikita Mazepin
Haas
RETIRED
55 LAPS
0
R
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
RETIRED
23 LAPS
32
R
Nationality
Nicholas Latifi
Williams
RETIRED
4 LAPS
51
R
Nationality
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
RETIRED
3 LAPS
52

28 Mar 2021

Agonisingly, we now have to wait two weeks for the next race in Imola. Once it finally comes around, we'll be here covering it all, from FP1 to the race, so join us then. In the meantime, we'll just be watching highlights from today over and over again...

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen meanwhile will be kicking himself, but he and Red Bull will be encouraged by the pace they showed.

28 Mar 2021

Red Bull may have had the better car, but Mercedes had Lewis Hamilton. How he made his tyres last while staying ahead is nothing short of incredible.

28 Mar 2021

Well, if the rest of the season is like that, we're in for quite the year. What. A. Race.

28 Mar 2021

The full result: P1 Hamilton, P2 Verstappen, P3 Bottas, P4 Norris, P5 Leclerc, P6 Perez, P7 Ricciardo, P8 Sainz, P9 Tsunoda, P10 Stroll, P11 Raikkonen, P12 Giovinazzi, P13 Ocon, P14 Russell, P15 Vettel, P16 Schumacher, P17 Gasly, P18 Latifi. RET: Alonso,

28 Mar 2021

Ricciardo took P7 ahead of the man he replaced at McLaren, Sainz, and Tsunoda and Stroll picked up the final points.

28 Mar 2021

Equally as excellent were Leclerc, who got P5, and Perez who went from the pit-lane to P6 with a great drive. A good start to life at Red Bull for him.

28 Mar 2021

After an excellent drive, Norris comes home in P4.

28 Mar 2021

Bottas goes purple on the final lap to take P3 and an extra point.

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen takes P2 half a second behind.

28 Mar 2021

Lewis Hamilton wins the Bahrain Grand Prix!

28 Mar 2021

Final lap...

28 Mar 2021

It looks like it could be. He's struggling to stay in DRS range.

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen is losing time now. Has his chance gone?

28 Mar 2021

He has to do it all over again...

28 Mar 2021

He's given the place back!

28 Mar 2021

He pulls off the move a few corners later! He did go off-track though...

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen tries to go around the outside at Turn 1 but can't do it.

28 Mar 2021

It's surely a matter of time now...

28 Mar 2021

Hamilton goes wide! DRS range now.

28 Mar 2021

This is thrilling. Can we have this all season, please?

28 Mar 2021

The gap is 2.6 seconds now.

28 Mar 2021

Just as I say that Verstappen cuts it down by seven-tenths.

28 Mar 2021

Hamilton is starting to stabilise the gap. It's staying stable at around four seconds.

28 Mar 2021

Vettel locked up and hit the back of the Frenchman. His mistake.

28 Mar 2021

Ocon and Vettel have come together and are down to P14 and P13 respectively.

28 Mar 2021

Perez dives down the inside at Turn 1 to take P6 from Ricciardo.

28 Mar 2021

The gap is already down to six seconds.

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen is forecast to catch Hamilton with five laps left. This is going to be fun.

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen pits! On hards, he's eight seconds behind Hamilton with 16 laps to go.

28 Mar 2021

Perez pits for fresh mediums and rejoins in P7. He needs to put his foot down now and cause Mercedes issues.

28 Mar 2021

Tsunoda has come to life and is up to P10.

28 Mar 2021

Sainz pits from P5 and comes out in P9. Verstappen now the only one in the top 10 yet to pit twice.

28 Mar 2021

Kimi has pulled off a great move to take P10 from Russell. He's still got it.

28 Mar 2021

Mercedes want Hamilton to go faster. He says he can, but he won't make it to the end on his current set if he does. He currently trails Verstappen by 17 seconds.

28 Mar 2021

Norris puts on hards and comes out just ahead of Leclerc.

28 Mar 2021

Alonso is out with a rear-brake issue. He pulls into the pits to retire.

28 Mar 2021

Leclerc and Ricciardo pit for hards.

28 Mar 2021

Perez takes P6 from Ricciardo and is now close behind Bottas on older tyres.

28 Mar 2021

Mercedes's big advantage was that they had two drivers to fight Verstappen with. That advantage is now gone.

28 Mar 2021

Bottas pits but there's an issue with the right-front! He spent 10 seconds stationary and has dropped down to P5!

28 Mar 2021

If Verstappen can last 10 more laps, he can do a two-stop. Hamilton probably can't. Probably.

28 Mar 2021

Judging by how he faired on his previous set. Hamilton will struggle to make it to the end on his new tyres.

28 Mar 2021

This is getting very, very interesting. Which strategy is best? Who knows...

28 Mar 2021

Hamilton pits! He puts on hards and comes out in P3.

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen is now within two seconds of Hamilton...

28 Mar 2021

He passes his former team-mate with ease.

28 Mar 2021

Vettel finally pits and comes out in P17. Further ahead, Perez takes P8 from Sainz. Next up, Stroll.

28 Mar 2021

Tsunoda takes P12 from Vettel. He's had a bit of a disappointing race so far.

28 Mar 2021

Alonso is struggling too. He's just been passed by Kimi,

28 Mar 2021

Vettel makes a mistake and drops down to P12. He's been on those tyres for a while...

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen is a lot quicker than Hamilton and has brought the gap down to 3.8 seconds.

28 Mar 2021

Perez has caught up and passed Vettel and Alonso. This is great stuff.

28 Mar 2021

Alonso and Sainz pass Vettel at Turn 1 before the Spaniard locks up and loses out to both!

28 Mar 2021

Alonso and Vettel are having an almighty scrap for P8. How great is it to see them head to head again?

28 Mar 2021

He does, putting on mediums, and rejoins in P12.

28 Mar 2021

Bottas takes P3 from Perez. The Mexican will surely come in soon.

28 Mar 2021

He's on fresher, quicker tyres than Hamilton, so is still in it for sure.

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen comes in! He puts on mediums and comes out seven seconds behind Hamilton. He has a lot of work to do now.

28 Mar 2021

Bottas pits and comes out in P4 behind Perez. He's on hards.

28 Mar 2021

With all the pit-stops in front of him, Perez is up to P4.

28 Mar 2021

Red Bull have seemingly accepted they'll lose the lead and are perhaps prioritizing Verstappen having fresher tyres later on.

28 Mar 2021

Rather bafflingly, Verstappen has stayed out. Surely Hamilton will pull off the undercut now?

28 Mar 2021

Hamilton is flying on his out-lap...

28 Mar 2021

Ricciardo pits and re-joins between Alonso and Stroll.

28 Mar 2021

Hamilton comes in for hards! Verstappen will have to react soon.

28 Mar 2021

Norris, Leclerc and Stroll react by coming in too, but Alonso gets ahead of the Aston Martin. Great call from Alpine.

28 Mar 2021

Alonso pits early for mediums.

28 Mar 2021

Bottas is struggling to keep up with the front two. He's currently 6.4 behind Verstappen.

28 Mar 2021

Perez now up to P12 after a tidy move on Ocon.

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen has a 1.8 second lead and is looking comfortable.

28 Mar 2021

Stroll has passed Alonso for P7, also at Turn 1.

28 Mar 2021

Norris now passes the Ferrari at Turn 1 to take P4.

28 Mar 2021

Leclerc and Norris battle through the first sector with the Ferrari just about staying ahead. Great racing.

28 Mar 2021

Perez passes Vettel! He's making his way through the order quickly...

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen is having some issues with his throttle. It's not hurting his performance so far though.

28 Mar 2021

Perez is in P14 now, just behind Vettel.

28 Mar 2021

Bottas uses DRS on the main straight to take P3.

28 Mar 2021

Green flag.

28 Mar 2021

We now have a Virtual Safety Car to clear Gasly's front-wing from the track.

28 Mar 2021

Gasly was in P5 but has dropped all the way down to P15 and has damage.

28 Mar 2021

Verstappen nails his restart and stays in the lead as Leclerc puts Hamilton under pressure!

28 Mar 2021

Safety Car coming in...

28 Mar 2021

Perez pits for medium tyres. Last time he was running last in Bahrain, things worked out pretty well...

28 Mar 2021

Mazepin didn't make contact with another driver, he just lost control and flew into the wall.

28 Mar 2021

Vettel made a great start, moving up to P14.

28 Mar 2021

Safety Car! The Russian is out of the race.

28 Mar 2021

The Ferrari man has taken P3! Further back, Mazepin has crashed.

28 Mar 2021

And we're off! Verstappen and Hamilton both get away well to stay in P1 and P2 while Leclerc challenges Bottas!

28 Mar 2021

Anyway, again, here we go...

28 Mar 2021

Checo has got the car going again! It briefly died. He has to start from the pit-lane now.

28 Mar 2021

The start has been aborted. Extra formation lap.

28 Mar 2021

Perez has pulled over at the side of the track...

28 Mar 2021

The formation lap is underway. Here we go.

28 Mar 2021

Asides from that, the conditions are ideal. It's 20'C, skies are clear and there are no sandstorms to be seen, which always helps.

28 Mar 2021

Wind has been making life hard for drivers all weekend, and could well catch a few out today, especially those still getting to grips with their new cars...

28 Mar 2021

The teams and cars are all on the grid and ready to go. Just over 10 minutes...

28 Mar 2021

Perez and Vettel may be the obvious ones to watch towards the back of the grid, but an eye also has to be kept on Yuki Tsunoda. He was looking rapid all weekend before a messy lap in Q2, and will still feel confident of scoring some big points.

28 Mar 2021

The other big news is that Vettel got knocked out in Q1. He said it was because he had to slow for yellow flags, but he was deemed to have not slowed enough and was thus handed a five-place grid penalty. Not the best start to life with Aston Martin...

28 Mar 2021

Perhaps the biggest headline from yesterday was the fact that Sergio Perez didn't make Q3. However, while it's not good, he was within three-tenths of Verstappen, who would only get P7 on mediums in Q2. If the Mexican is that close to his team-mate on pac

28 Mar 2021

The full starting grid, with a penalty for Sebastian Vettel applied: P1 Verstappen, P2 Hamilton, P3 Bottas, P4 Leclerc, P5 Gasly, P6 Ricciardo, P7 Norris, P8 Sainz, P9 Alonso, P10 Stroll, P11 Perez, P12 Giovinazzi, P13 Tsunoda, P14 Raikkonen, P15 Russel

28 Mar 2021

He may be approaching 40 and returning after two years out, but Fernando Alonso is looking as good as ever. He put in a stellar performance to make it to Q3, and starts just ahead of Lance Stroll.

28 Mar 2021

In the new pairing at McLaren, Ricciardo drew first blood yesterday, going less than half a tenth quicker than Norris. They start P6 and P7, ahead of the team's former man, Carlos Sainz.

28 Mar 2021

Equally impressive was Pierre Gasly, who took P5. With the AlphaTauri looking mighty quick, expect him to challenge Leclerc pretty soon after the start.

28 Mar 2021

Hamilton will start just behind the Dutchman, with Bottas and Leclerc on the second row after a typically impressive effort from the Ferrari man.

28 Mar 2021

Whether Red Bull have what it takes to fight Mercedes this year was a question answered emphatically by Max Verstappen in qualifying as he took pole position by four-tenths from Lewis Hamilton. There's no doubt about it; he's the favourite heading into th

28 Mar 2021

So, one hour to go. Excited? First things first, let's run through the starting grid for the season opener.

28 Mar 2021

The wait is finally over! It's race day! We will have all the build-up to the Bahrain Grand Prix from 1700 local time and live updates/timings to come from 1800.
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:28.997
-
15
2
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:29.385
0.388
18
3
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:29.586
0.589
17
4
Nationality
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:29.678
0.681
15
5
Nationality
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
1:29.809
0.812
15
6
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
1:29.927
0.930
18
7
Nationality
Lando Norris
McLaren
1:29.974
0.977
18
8
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
1:30.215
1.218
17
9
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
1:30.249
1.252
15
10
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:30.601
1.604
15
11
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
1:30.659
11
12
Nationality
Antonio Giovin...
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:30.708
12
13
Nationality
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
1:31.203
9
14
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:31.238
12
15
Nationality
George Russell
Williams
1:33.430
11
16
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
1:31.724
6
17
Nationality
Nicholas Latifi
Williams
1:31.936
8
18
Nationality
Mick Schumacher
Haas
1:32.449
6
19
Nationality
Nikita Mazepin
Haas
1:33.273
7
20
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin
1:32.056
6
Qualifying 1
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:30.499
-
3
2
Nationality
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
1:30.607
0.108
3
3
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:30.617
0.118
6
4
Nationality
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:30.691
0.192
6
5
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
1:30.795
0.296
6
6
Nationality
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
1:30.848
0.349
3
7
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
1:30.863
0.364
6
8
Nationality
Lando Norris
McLaren
1:30.902
0.403
6
9
Nationality
Antonio Giovin...
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:30.998
0.499
6
10
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
1:31.165
0.666
5
11
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:31.200
0.701
5
12
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:31.261
0.762
6
13
Nationality
George Russell
Williams
1:31.316
0.817
8
14
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:31.547
1.048
6
15
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
1:31.653
1.154
5
16
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
1:31.724
1.225
6
17
Nationality
Nicholas Latifi
Williams
1:31.936
1.437
8
18
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin
1:32.056
1.557
6
19
Nationality
Mick Schumacher
Haas
1:32.449
1.950
6
20
Nationality
Nikita Mazepin
Haas
1:33.273
2.774
7

27 Mar

At the other end, Verstappen tops Q1, a tenth ahead of Tsunoda. That Honda engine is firing very nicely.

27 Mar

The stewards are investigating those times set while the yellow flags were out after the session.

27 Mar

Sebastian Vettel is out in Q1! The four-time World Champion drops out along with Ocon, Latifi, Schumacher and Mazepin. Vettel and Ocon may well have been held up there by Mazepin's spin.

27 Mar

Everyone is improving here!

27 Mar

Mazepin has spun again, this time at Turn 1! The chequered flag is out to end the session, and Mazepin is in a very awkward position.

27 Mar

Take a bow Russell! He shoots up to P7!

27 Mar

Verstappen isn't coming out again in the session, Red Bull are checking for any damage that he may have picked up over a kerb.

27 Mar

Five minutes to go in Q2, now that we have picked our jaws up over those AlphaTauri times, we can look towards the back of the grid. Haas prop up the standings, Russell, Latifi and Ocon are in the elimination zone.

27 Mar

But make that P1 for Verstappen, one tenth up on Hamilton. Yuki Tsunoda goes P2! Ahead of Hamilton, his team-mate Gasly, Perez and Bottas.

27 Mar

Hamilton is flying, a 1:30.6 on the softs sets the pace. Bottas is almost six tenths off that benchmark.

27 Mar

Savour it, MSC sits at the top of a timing screen again. But that is unlikely to last for Mick as the big hitters head out onto the track.

27 Mar

Russell meanwhile gave up on his lap and went back to the Williams garage.

27 Mar

And that's a spin for Mazepin, not for the first time this weekend. He corrects the VF-21 and heads back to the pits.

27 Mar

George Russell in the Williams is the first to start a flying lap. The Briton has never been outqualified by a team-mate at Williams.

27 Mar

A nice, not very orderly queue at the end of the pit lane disperses onto the track as the green light shines.

27 Mar

Here we go! Qualifying begins in Bahrain. The 2021 season is now truly underway.

27 Mar

Track temperature is now down to 35c as the sun sets, that will be a boost for the teams, but the blustery winds will not be.

27 Mar

Only a few minutes now until Q1 begins, in this session the slowest five cars will be eliminated.

27 Mar

At the other end of the order, Haas and Williams will likely be struggling to escape Q1, but surprisingly Alpine and Aston Martin look the teams in danger of being sucked into that battle. Not the return Fernando Alonso will have been hoping for, or Sebas

27 Mar

AlphaTauri then are sitting pretty heading into qualifying at a Bahrain track that has been kind to them, and particularly to Gasly in the past. McLaren and Ferrari will be hoping to join them in Q3 and make it a little more uncomfortable for Gasly and Yu

27 Mar

But on the other side of the garages at Mercedes and Red Bull respectively, there is a lot of work to do. Valtteri Bottas struggled with the handling of the W12 throughout FP3, getting beaten to P3 by Pierre Gasly. Sergio Perez meanwhile has a whopping 1.

27 Mar

Max Verstappen was on fine form on Friday, but he really opened the eyes of the paddock when his fastest time in FP3 earlier today put him P1 and over seven tenths ahead of Sir Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. Now, with the Bahrain circuit in night mode an

27 Mar

Mercedes have taken pole at every opening race since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014, but this year, that record is very much under threat!

27 Mar

Hello and welcome back to Bahrain! The first qualifying of 2021 will be upon us in 30 minutes. All times are local.
Qualifying 2
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
1:30.009
-
11
2
Nationality
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:30.010
0.001
12
3
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:30.085
0.076
12
4
Nationality
Lando Norris
McLaren
1:30.099
0.090
12
5
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:30.186
0.177
11
5
Nationality
Nicholas Latifi
Williams
1:28.749
1.163
12
6
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
1:30.222
0.213
12
6
Nationality
Mick Schumacher
Haas
1:28.877
1.291
11
7
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:30.318
0.309
9
8
Nationality
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
1:30.513
0.504
9
9
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
1:30.595
0.586
12
10
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:30.624
0.615
12
11
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
1:30.659
0.650
11
12
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin
1:29.165
1.579
11
12
Nationality
Antonio Giovin...
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:30.708
0.699
12
13
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
1:29.557
1.971
11
13
Nationality
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
1:31.203
1.194
9
14
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:31.238
1.229
12
15
Nationality
George Russell
Williams
1:33.430
3.421
11
15
Nationality
Nikita Mazepin
Haas
5

27 Mar

Since Ferrari were on the softs, it is very unlikely that they will be in contention for pole. This looks like a straight battle between Hamilton and Verstappen.

27 Mar

That Q2 elimination for Tsunoda will also be a big disappointment for the rookie, having seen his team-mate Gasly comfortably make Q3 on the medium rubber.

27 Mar

Perez is out in Q2! The gamble did not pay off. Giovinazzi, Tsunoda, Raikkonen and Russell also miss out on the top 10. What is it about that second Red Bull car which just does not work?

27 Mar

Leclerc goes P1, usurped by one millisecond by his team-mate Sainz!

27 Mar

A fantastic effort from Gasly, he is up to P4.

27 Mar

Perez is going to try again on the medium tyres. He wants to avoid starting on the softs which could compromise his race strategy.

27 Mar

As the track falls quiet, Russell takes advantage of the clear air to attempt his first flying lap.

27 Mar

P8 and P9 for AlphaTauri, so they may decide to switch to the softs to make sure of a Q3 appearance.

27 Mar

It is advantage Hamilton after the first run on the mediums. He has two tenths over Verstappen. Perez sees his time deleted for track limits.

27 Mar

They are confident down at AlphaTauri. Both Tsunoda and Gasly are on the mediums too.

27 Mar

For the drivers who make Q3, they will have to start tomorrow's race on the tyres that they set their fastest Q2 time on. Mercedes and Red Bull are going with the mediums, hoping to be fast enough to make Q3 and secure those tyres for the race start.

27 Mar

We are just seeing replays now of Carlos Sainz's Ferrari cutting out on him after heavily riding a kerb. He got going again, but like Verstappen, it remains to be seen if there is any lasting damage.

27 Mar

So, the top 13 in qualifying were all within a second of each other. Are any of the teams hiding some extra pace as the shootout for pole begins?
Qualifying 3
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
George Russell
Williams
1:27.264
-
12
1
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:28.997
-
15
2
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:27.633
0.369
12
2
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:29.385
0.388
18
3
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:29.586
0.589
17
4
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
1:28.354
1.09
14
4
Nationality
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:29.678
0.681
15
5
Nationality
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
1:29.809
0.812
15
6
Nationality
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
1:28.497
1.233
13
6
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
1:29.927
0.930
18
7
Nationality
Lando Norris
McLaren
1:29.974
0.977
18
8
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
1:30.215
1.218
17
9
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
1:30.249
1.252
15
10
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:30.601
1.604
15

27 Mar

But, come Sunday the Dutchman will likely have his mirrors full of the Mercedes duo. Who will kick-off the 2021 campaign with victory? Join us tomorrow where we all will find out.

27 Mar

Well then, we thought it would be close, but in the end Verstappen bossed the field to take pole.

27 Mar

Gasly P5, Ricciardo P6, Norris P7, Sainz P8, Alonso P9 and Stroll P10 is your provisional top 10 for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Remember the stewards are still looking into those final Q1 laps that were set under yellow flags.

27 Mar

Hamilton will join him on the second row, Bottas is P3 while Leclerc boots Gasly from P4 to take a place on row two alongside Bottas.

27 Mar

It is pole for Max Verstappen, by nearly four tenths of a second!

27 Mar

Hamilton and Verstappen match each other in sector one.

27 Mar

Here we go!

27 Mar

The drivers just about avoid a pile-up in the pits as they head out for their final runs.

27 Mar

And what can Sainz do? His P5 time was set on used softs.

27 Mar

Verstappen says over team radio that he has more pace to come.

27 Mar

Behind Bottas it is Sainz in P5 after the first runs, followed by Ricciardo, Norris and Stroll. Leclerc and Alonso are yet to set a time.

27 Mar

Bottas can't beat Gasly's first run! But Hamilton and Verstappen can. It is provisional pole for Verstappen by 0.023s over Hamilton. This is very very close!

27 Mar

Here we go then, time to crown our first pole-sitter of 2021!
Practice 1
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:31.394
-
12
2
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:31.692
0.298
17
3
Nationality
Lando Norris
McLaren
1:31.897
0.503
20
4
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:31.921
0.527
15
5
Nationality
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:31.993
0.599
14
6
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
1:32.071
0.677
15
7
Nationality
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
1:32.195
0.801
23
8
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
1:32.366
0.972
15
9
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
1:32.434
1.040
20
10
Nationality
Antonio Giovin...
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:32.786
1.392
16
11
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:33.134
1.740
18
12
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin
1:33.157
1.763
21
13
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:33.233
1.839
20
14
Nationality
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
1:33.329
1.935
21
15
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
1:33.528
2.134
20
16
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
1:33.872
2.478
18
17
Nationality
George Russell
Williams
1:34.127
2.733
22
18
Nationality
Nicholas Latifi
Williams
1:34.340
2.946
22
19
Nationality
Mick Schumacher
Haas
1:34.501
3.107
16
20
Nationality
Nikita Mazepin
Haas
1:34.975
3.581
16

26 Mar

The action will continue in FP2, and our coverage of it will begin in just under two hours. With it being the best indication we'll get of qualifying pace, don't miss it.

26 Mar

The full result of FP1: P1 Verstappen, P2 Bottas, P3 Norris, P4 Hamilton, P5 Leclerc, P6 Perez, P7 Gasly, P8 Sainz, P9 Ricciardo, P10 Giovinazzi, P11 Raikkonen, P12 Vettel, P13 Stroll, P14 Tsunoda, P15 Ocon, P16 Alonso, P17 Russell, P18 Latifi, P19 Schum

26 Mar

Hamilton took P5 ahead of Leclerc, who will be happy with his session. His team-mate was P8, with Perez and Gasly separating the two. Ricciardo and Giovinazzi complete the top 10.

26 Mar

Verstappen tops it, as many would have expected, with Bottas in P2 and Norris completing the top three.

26 Mar

That's that for the first race weekend session of the year.

26 Mar

The bottom six are two Alpines, two Williams and two Haas. Not encouraging for Alonso and co... Alfa Romeo meanwhile are P10 and P11.

26 Mar

The Dutchman goes top and fairly comfortably too with a lap just under three tenths faster than Bottas's.

26 Mar

Bottas, Hamilton and Perez go P1, P3 and P5. Next up, Verstappen...

26 Mar

"Come on, I've got *expletive* traffic." Tsunoda isn't happy after having a flying lap hindered.

26 Mar

Gasly and Sainz take P3 and P5 respectively.

26 Mar

It's worth remembering that, with FP2 taking place at the same time as qualifying, that will give us a far better idea of the pecking order.

26 Mar

Leclerc goes P2, a tenth off Norris.

26 Mar

Close but no cigar. He goes P3, half a second down. Still, that McLaren is looking good...

26 Mar

Ricciardo is out to do his first laps on softs. Can he make it a McLaren 1-2?

26 Mar

Leclerc is currently P6 after a decent run on the softs. Ferrari would snap your hands off for that result in qualifying.

26 Mar

Norris uses softs for the first time and immediately goes top, three tenths faster than the Mercedes.

26 Mar

Hamilton is back out on softs again...

26 Mar

Tell you what, these shorter testing sessions are great, nobody can spend half an hour sitting in the garage.

26 Mar

Mick Schumacher sets his first time and goes P16. How great is it to see MSC back on the screen?

26 Mar

Conditions today are far better than they were in testing. There's little wind, and no sandstorms, which always helps. The track temperature is currently a toasty 47'C.

26 Mar

Hamilton then takes back top spot by three tenths. Mercedes seem keen to show that they have some pace here.

26 Mar

Verstappen goes two tenths faster to take P1 himself. This has been a fun start.

26 Mar

On that note, Bottas now goes purple. He's also on softs.

26 Mar

Hamilton goes top on softs with a 1:32.844. Mercedes and Red Bull aren't hanging around.

26 Mar

Just a reminder that Friday sessions last an hour rather than 90 minutes this year.

26 Mar

Lando Norris goes top early on with a 1:33.361 on the hard tyre before Perez goes two tenths quicker on softs.

26 Mar

Everybody asides from Verstappen and Bottas has headed out already.

26 Mar

Fernando Alonso is the first man out, followed by Yuki Tsunoda.

26 Mar

Right then, here we go. FP1 - and the 2021 Formula 1 season - is underway!

26 Mar

As for the backmarkers of 2020, Alfa Romeo will be the happiest after their showing in Bahrain suggested that they've made steps forward over the winter break.

26 Mar

At the other end of the scale, AlphaTauri looked excellent in terms of both reliability and speed. With a seemingly better car and Yuki Tsunoda partnering Pierre Gasly to form an exciting lineup, can they challenge for P3 in the standings this year?

26 Mar

Of the midfield teams, Aston Martin seem to be in the worst shape ahead of this weekend. Reliability issues limited to just 314 laps in pre-season - only Mercedes completed less - while Sebastian Vettel did the least of any driver. Given that, he'll want

26 Mar

Ferrari and Alpine also enjoyed largely positive test pre-seasons, completing 404 and 396 laps respectively, the third and fourth most of any teams. Despite that though, Carlos Sainz says he still isn't fully comfortable in his new car, but the same can't

26 Mar

Behind the presumed top two, McLaren looked best in Bahrain. The Mercedes engine seems to have been slotted seamlessly into the car, while Daniel Ricciardo looked quick and comfortable in papaya. Some even think the British team could challenge their engi

26 Mar

At the top, there are high hopes that we could have a title fight on our hands this year after pre-season testing. Red Bull looked good throughout the here days, encountering no major issues and setting the fastest time courtesy of Max Verstappen. Mercede

26 Mar

At the top, there are high hopes that we could have a title fight on our hands this year after pre-season testing. Red Bull looked good throughout the here days, encountering no major issues and setting the fastest time courtesy of Max Verstappen. Mercede

26 Mar

Have you ever been so excited for a practice session? We sure haven't. Anyway, with less than 30 minutes until lights out, let's run through what shape teams are in heading into the season opener.

26 Mar

Formula 1 is back! Damn that feels so good to type out. It's been far too long. We'll have all the build-up to the first practice session coming very soon. The session itself gets underway at 1430 local time.
Practice 2
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:30.847
-
23
2
Nationality
Lando Norris
McLaren
1:30.942
0.095
25
3
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:31.082
0.235
24
4
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
1:31.127
0.280
26
5
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:31.218
0.371
23
6
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
1:31.230
0.383
22
7
Nationality
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
1:31.294
0.447
23
8
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:31.393
0.546
24
9
Nationality
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
1:31.483
0.636
27
10
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
1:31.503
0.656
23
11
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
1:31.601
0.754
24
12
Nationality
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:31.612
0.765
26
13
Nationality
Antonio Giovin...
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:31.740
0.893
27
14
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin
1:31.769
0.922
26
15
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
1:31.770
0.923
24
16
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:31.862
1.015
15
17
Nationality
George Russell
Williams
1:32.331
1.484
28
18
Nationality
Mick Schumacher
Haas
1:33.297
2.450
24
19
Nationality
Nicholas Latifi
Williams
1:33.400
2.553
28
20
Nationality
Nikita Mazepin
Haas
1:33.449
2.602
19

26 Mar

Our coverage of the final practice session will begin at 14:30 local time, so join us then, and stick around all the way through to qualifying. Thanks for tuning in today, and enjoy what is F1's equivalent of Christmas Eve.

26 Mar

Tomorrow, we will finally discover what the pecking order is this year, and we couldn't be more excited. Before that though, is FP3.

26 Mar

Well, that's that for the first day of the 2021 season. Isn't it lovely to have Formula 1 back?

26 Mar

The full FP2 result: P1 Verstappen, P2 Norris, P3 Hamilton, P4 Sainz, P5 Bottas, P6 Ricciardo, P7 Tsunoda, P8 Stroll, P9 Gasly, P10 Perez, P11 Ocon, P12 Leclerc, P13 Giovinazzi, P14 Vettel, P15 Alonso, P16 Raikkonen, P17 Russell, P18 Schumacher, P19 Latif

26 Mar

Ricciardo couldn't challenge his team-mate's time but will be happy with how he's settling into his car nonetheless. He finished P6, ahead of Tsunoda, with Stroll, Gasly and Perez completing the top 10.

26 Mar

There are certainly reasons to be cheerful for Mercedes though. Hamilton went third fastest and was the quickest man on track on the long runs, while Bottas took P5, with Sainz splitting them.

26 Mar

In that flurry of activity, Verstappen went fastest, ensuring he'd top both of today's sessions. Norris also impressed again, taking P2.

26 Mar

Well, that was a somewhat strange session, with all of the action, in terms of lap times at least, coming in the first 10 minutes.

26 Mar

As the chequered flag comes down on the session, Bottas complains that his car is "undrivable." An interesting note to end on...

26 Mar

Sainz is looking very comfortable indeed in his Ferrari, much more so than in pre-season testing.

26 Mar

Alonso is complaining about his car. On the bright side, he hasn't said it has a GP2 engine.

26 Mar

Data from the longer runs suggests that Hamilton and Verstappen are dead even when it comes to race pace with Perez only a couple of tenths off. Sounds good to us.

26 Mar

In FP1, Alonso could only go faster than the Haas and Williams drivers, and that's almost exactly the same now, with the only difference being he's also ahead of Kimi. Reasons for concern?

26 Mar

Don't expect too much else to change on the timesheet in the last 15 minutes. Verstappen will probably make it two from two.

26 Mar

Most are doing longer race runs now. We may get some more qualy runs in the final 10 minutes or so.

26 Mar

Perez could only go P10 on his fast lap on softs.

26 Mar

Verstappen and Norris take the top two spots with the Dutchman doing a 1:30.847 and Norris going a tenth slower.

26 Mar

On his first lap on softs, Bottas goes P3, just behind Sainz.

26 Mar

The Mercedes man has also put on the quickest tyre and has improved, but only marginally.

26 Mar

On softs, Vettel goes P3, half a tenth slower than Hamilton.

26 Mar

Ferrari also looked good on an early run on the mediums, with Sainz and Leclerc P5 and P7.

26 Mar

Raikkonen has lost his front-wing after spinning and hitting the barriers. There could be quite a bit of damage.

26 Mar

Hamilton and Bottas take the top two spots while Perez goes P4. All on mediums.

26 Mar

Verstappen goes top early on with a 1:31.842 on mediums.

26 Mar

All 20 drivers are out already.

26 Mar

We're off.

26 Mar

Conditions are ideal, with an air temperature of 28'C and little wind.

26 Mar

That's precisely why FP2 is so important. The next hour will provide the biggest indication as to what the pecking order looks like heading into the business end of the weekend.

26 Mar

Ultimately though, the times from FP1 are largely irrelevant as, taking place earlier in the day, the conditions were completely different to how they'll be for qualifying and the race.

26 Mar

Joining Mercedes and Red Bull in the top six were McLaren and Ferrari, with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc P3 and P5 respectively.

26 Mar

FP1 went as many expected, with Max Verstappen going quickest. However, the Mercedes looked much more stable and Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton took P2 and P4. Signs of life for sure.

26 Mar

Hello and welcome back to live coverage of the first race weekend of 2021. Next up: FP2.
Practice 3
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:30.577
-
11
2
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:31.316
0.739
14
3
Nationality
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
1:31.583
1.006
13
4
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:31.855
1.278
16
5
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
1:31.908
1.331
11
6
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
1:32.108
1.531
16
7
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:32.224
1.647
15
8
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
1:32.423
1.846
11
9
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:32.431
1.854
13
10
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
1:32.477
1.900
12
11
Nationality
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:32.482
1.905
17
12
Nationality
Antonio Giovin...
Alfa Romeo Racing
1:32.500
1.923
11
13
Nationality
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
1:32.709
2.132
15
14
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin
1:32.755
2.178
15
15
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
1:32.820
2.243
15
16
Nationality
Lando Norris
McLaren
1:32.860
2.283
10
17
Nationality
George Russell
Williams
1:33.323
2.746
14
18
Nationality
Mick Schumacher
Haas
1:33.422
2.845
14
19
Nationality
Nikita Mazepin
Haas
1:33.622
3.045
14
20
Nationality
Nicholas Latifi
Williams
1:33.959
3.382
16

27 Mar

Join us in a few hours time for what is going to be an enthralling qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix under the lights! You do not want to miss it.

27 Mar

Well then, while we have to take these times with a pinch of salt, it can not be denied that Verstappen looks the favourite to take pole later on. Do not count Hamilton out though, and Gasly is threatening to upset the expected top four.

27 Mar

Leclerc finishes P11, ahead of Giovinazzi, Tsunoda, Vettel, Alonso, Norris, Russell, Schumacher, Mazepin and Latifi.

27 Mar

Bottas, Perez, Sainz, Raikkonen, Ocon, Stroll and Ricciardo complete the top 10.

27 Mar

And that's session over, Verstappen completes the clean sweep and tops FP3, seven tenths ahead of Hamilton. A fantastic session for Gasly sees him finish P3 in the AlphaTauri.

27 Mar

Only P14 for Alonso. That Alpine looks a bit too laid back, lacking energy.

27 Mar

Vettel bolts on the soft tyres, but he can drag the Aston Martin up to only P13. Team-mate Lance Stroll is three tenths up the road.

27 Mar

That RB16B looked so calm and accurate throughout that P1 lap for Verstappen.

27 Mar

Wow, Max blitzed it. A 1:30.5! That puts him P1 by over seven tenths ahead of Verstappen.

27 Mar

Daniel Ricciardo told he is losing time to Norris under braking into Turn 1. The king of the late brakers is getting outperformed!

27 Mar

Not a great time from Perez there on the softs, a 1:31.9 sends him P3 but he has almost six tenths to find on Hamilton.

27 Mar

Verstappen is heading out on brand new soft tyres, has he got an answer to Mercedes?

27 Mar

With the soft tyres fitted Bottas seems to have finally found some balance in the W12, setting a 1:31.8, but Hamilton comfortably goes P1 with a 1:31.3. The Briton went purple in all sectors.

27 Mar

The wind is strengthening now as was predicted, and changing direction.

27 Mar

Correction, Gasly was actually on the soft compound.

27 Mar

A concerning moment there for Sebastian Vettel as some kind of debris hits his crash helmet. He is completely fine and continues on his lap.

27 Mar

Gasly is up to P1 with a 1:32.3! And on the hard rubber.

27 Mar

Fernando Alonso is complaining of the front brakes locking. He is down in P16 in the Alpine.

27 Mar

The Alfa Romeos are up in P6 and P7, Antonio Giovinazzi leading team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

27 Mar

Verstappen was going purple, but a spin for Nikita Mazepin in the Haas ruins that.

27 Mar

A better effort there from Perez as he narrows the gap to Verstappen to four tenths. The Mexican will have his eyes set on the first two rows of the grid come Q3.

27 Mar

Pierre Gasly shoots up to P2, just over a tenth shy of Verstappen. He was though on the soft rubber.

27 Mar

Norris is back in the thick of the action, he goes P3 on the soft tyres.

27 Mar

Hamilton reduces the deficit to Max to 0.28s. But remember these conditions are not representative of how they will be in qualifying.

27 Mar

Bottas has another time deleted for track limits at Turn 4. The Finn is really struggling down in P15.

27 Mar

Now that is a cracking time from Max! A 1:32.6 takes him P1. He looks handy for a clean sweep of practice.

27 Mar

Sergio Perez is on the hard compound for Red Bull, he jumps up to P2 with eight tenths to find on Hamilton. His team-mate Verstappen is now setting off on his flying lap on the white-striped hard tyres.

27 Mar

Leclerc says there is a serious lack of grip out there on the track, and it seems most drivers are hitting that issue.

27 Mar

A spin for Charles Leclerc at Turn 3, but he gets the SF21 going again. Hamilton meanwhile looks far more comfortable in the Mercedes than Bottas and goes P1 on a 1:32.9, using the soft rubber.

27 Mar

Sainz sets a 1:33.931 to set the official P1 time.

27 Mar

But Bottas has had that time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 4.

27 Mar

It's a 1:33.3 for Bottas. There is a lot more time to come from that W12 once Bottas finds the right set-up.

27 Mar

Take 2, but again Bottas misses the apex by a country mile at Turn 1.

27 Mar

Bottas sets off on his first flying lap, but at Turn 1 he goes far too deep and it is lap over already.

27 Mar

Valtteri Bottas takes to the track for the first time today. He called the W12 "undriveable" yesterday. It will be interesting to see what they did overnight to sort that.

27 Mar

The Bahrain surface cooks away with no cars on the track. Hopefully, they will be tempted out soon.

27 Mar

After that quick installation lap, Tsunoda is wheeled back into his garage.

27 Mar

No queuing to go out onto the track today, but AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda heads out early on the soft rubber.

27 Mar

But for now full focus is on these final 60 minutes of practice ahead. The pit lane is open!

27 Mar

All the team principals it seems have just left a meeting, could they be finalising the plans for sprint races? Formula 1 bosses want to bring them in to replace traditional Saturday qualifying at selected rounds this season.

27 Mar

48c track temp, 38c air temp for FP3! Those temperatures will drop hugely by the time qualifying arrives under the lights.

27 Mar

Despite George Russell's usual blistering pace over a single lap, Williams and Haas head into FP3 it seems with the most work to do if they want to reel in the midfield pack.

27 Mar

Despite a brush with the barriers for Kimi Raikkonen in FP2, Alfa Romeo were looking strong and very much a midfield challenger for the likes of Aston Martin and Alpine.

27 Mar

If McLaren are going to drop back into the midfield, then Friday suggested their closest rivals will be Ferrari and AlphaTauri. Carlos Sainz in particular looked very strong in the SF21, looking very settled at Ferrari already. FP3 will be more about fine

27 Mar

On Friday Lando Norris was a consistent name at the business end of the timings, finishing the afternoon session in P2. But, he doesn't expect to stay there once Mercedes and Red Bull crank up the power.

27 Mar

With the track temperatures still scorching hot and the sun still glaring down, this session won't be the most representative heading into qualifying later on this evening. You will just have to be patient to see what true pace each team possesses!

27 Mar

Red Bull picked up where they left off in testing with a Friday practice double P1 courtesy of Max Verstappen. However, the Mercedes W12 did look like it was behaving itself a little more after a tricky pre-season.

27 Mar

Hello and welcome back to the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of the first qualifying showdown of the season. First up, though, is one final hour of practice. Green light in 30 minutes!
Bahrain Grand Prix
Race Date:

28 Mar

Length:
Lap Record:
Starting Grid
#
Team/Driver
1
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
2
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
3
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
4
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
5
Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri
6
Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren
7
Lando Norris
McLaren
8
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
9
Fernando Alonso
Alpine
10
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
11
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
12
Antonio Giovinazzi
Alfa Romeo Racing
13
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
14
Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo Racing
15
George Russell
Williams
16
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
17
Nicholas Latifi
Williams
18
Mick Schumacher
Haas
19
Nikita Mazepin
Haas
20
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin
Season Schedule
Date
Grand Prix
Time

18 Apr

Italian (Emilia-Romagna...

03:00 PM

02 May

Portuguese Grand Prix

04:00 PM

09 May

Spanish Grand Prix

03:00 PM

*All times in GMT+2 View Full Schedule
Driver Standings
#
Driver
Points
1
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
25
2
Max Verstappen Red Bull
18
3
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes
16
4
Lando Norris McLaren
12
5
Sergio Perez Red Bull
10
View Full Results
Team Standings
#
Team
Points
1
Mercedes
41
2
Red Bull
28
3
McLaren
18
View Full Results
Season Results
Grand Prix
Podium

21 Mar

 Australian Grand Prix
11:00

28 Mar

 Bahrain Grand Prix
1. Lewis Hamilton 2. Max Verstappen 3. Valtteri Bottas
View Full Results
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