Charles Leclerc leads the final day of winter testing in Bahrain

It was Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who set the best time on the third and final day of the 2024 F1 winter testing in Bahrain this week. The Monegasque clocked a 1.30.322 on the soft tyres, three tenths to 46 thousandths ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell (soft) and the stack of Guanyu Zhou (soft).

Behind, Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon, Oscar Piastre, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez complete the top ten on this final day of the 2024 winter.

It is always good to remind you that this is not the time recorded during winter exams Completely irrelevant And so it is Impossible to draw conclusions After these three days of testing, especially since some teams voluntarily hide their game. Below, you can find a summary of the last day, when the reactions of various leaders will be published on our site in the evening.

Another interrupted day

Like the previous day, an evacuation grate came loose on the circuit this Friday, forcing the race management to wave a very long red flag (more than an hour). Temporary repairs were carried out to fix the problem and the session finally resumed at 9:45 am (Paris time). It was also decided to cancel the lunch break to allow the teams to drive non-stop until 5:00 pm (Paris time).

Needless to say, this serious issue will need to be resolved next week when the season kicks off at the same circuit with the Bahrain Grand Prix…

McLaren

A slightly more complicated day than expected for McLaren this Friday in Bahrain. In the morning, Lando Norris was only able to complete 20 laps at the wheel of the MCL38 before returning to the garage and remaining there. A mechanical problem (clutch?) actually required a lot of effort by the mechanics who allowed the car to be repaired and Oscar Piastre back on track in the early afternoon. The Australian was actually able to start his day shortly before 1:00 a.m. (Paris time), but after just 19 laps, Oscar Piastre had to return to the garage for a long time due to mechanical problems with his car.

Mercedes

At Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton was at the wheel of the W15 this Friday morning. The seven-time world champion completed 49 laps without any major problems before giving way to his team-mate George Russell in the afternoon. The Briton was able to drive for the last four hours of the day without encountering the slightest problem with the Mercedes. Russell set the second fastest time of the day by putting on soft tires in the closing minutes.

Williams

At Williams, it was Thai Alex Albon who was in charge of completing the program for this final day of testing. Albon was alone at the wheel of the FW46 this Friday and was therefore the most active driver on track, although some minor teething problems forced him to pit regularly. However, there were no major breakdowns for Williams, who completed a solid three-day test in Bahrain despite still dealing with minor problems.

Aston Martin

At Aston Martin, Lance Stroll began the day behind the wheel of the AMR24. The Canadian driver was able to complete 46 laps in the morning before giving way to double world champion Fernando Alonso in the afternoon. Alonso had a positive final day of testing, although the Spaniard still believes that three days of winter testing will not prepare drivers well for the world championship.

red bull

Sergio Perez completed 53 laps at the wheel of the RB20 in the morning. was the Mexican manufacturer, although it remained in the garage for a long time due to a problem found in the rear of the Red Bull. Despite these minor setbacks, the Milton Keynes team was able to complete its program for the day, aided by triple world champion Max Verstappen, who took over from Perez in the afternoon.

Ferrari

A productive final day this Friday for Scuderia Ferrari in Bahrain with Carlos Sainz at the wheel of the SF-24 in the morning. The Spaniard then gave way to Monegasque Charles Leclerc who immediately set the best time on the soft tyre. No problems to report from Ferrari for this final day of testing in the Bahrain desert.

Haas

At Haas, Kevin Magnussen begins the day behind the wheel of the VF-24. Dan completed 80 laps of the circuit without encountering any particular problems other than leaving his cockpit. The Haas driver was seen hitting his cockpit with a hammer (apparently something was on the way out). In the afternoon, German Nico Hulkenberg took over to complete the day’s work.

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Valtteri Bottas started the day at the wheel of the Stake C44 this Friday. Finn completed only 28 laps due to a minor technical problem. In the afternoon, his teammate Guanyu Zhou made up for lost time by filing the tarmac for four hours without encountering any particular problems.

Visa Cash App RB

Visa cash app At RB, Daniel Ricciardo filed on the tarmac in the morning after a long stint on the hard tyre. The Australian never attempted to set a significant time during his ride. In the afternoon, his teammate Yuki Tsunoda did exactly the same with the medium tire. Here again, no problem reporting.

Alpine

At Alpine, we have been very discreet since the start of these tests in Bahrain. Should we worry about it or not? We won’t have an answer until next week during the first qualifying session of the year. In any case, apart from a small wing damage at the end of the day on the A524 driven by Pierre Galcy, no major problems were reported by the French manufacturer’s team.

Time Table (Day 3)