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2023 Formula 1 Bahrain February Testing
Feb 23, 2023 to Feb 25, 2023
| Bahrain International Circuit, BH
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Formula 1 Bahrain February Testing
F1 Bahrain pre-season test - Day 3
Minute by minute updates on the final day of the 2023 F1 Bahrain pre-season test
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Summary
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Summary
- Perez sets the pace on the final day of F1 pre-season testing from Hamilton
- Leclerc led this morning's session from Russell and Drugovich
- Bottas' Alfa stopped on track this morning, while there was a brief stoppage early on to retrieve a sensor that fell off the Red Bull
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Leaderboard
- Perez, Red Bull, 1m30.305s, C4 - 133 laps
- Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m30.664s, C5 - 65 laps
- Bottas, Alfa Romeo, 1m30.827s, C5 - 131 laps
- Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m31.024s, C4 - 67 laps
- Sainz, Ferrari, 1m31.036s, C4 - 76 laps
- Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, 1m31.261s, C4 - 79 laps
- Magnussen, Haas, 1m31.381s, C4 - 95 laps
- Russell, Mercedes, 1m31.442s, C5 - 83 laps
- Alonso, Aston Martin, 1m31.450s, C4 - 80 laps
- Drugovich, Aston Martin, 1m32.075s, C5 - 77 laps
- Norris, McLaren, 1m32.160s, C3 - 37 laps
- Gasly, Alpine, 1m32.762s, C3 - 56 laps
- Albon, Williams, 1m32.793s, C5 - 136 laps
- Ocon, Alpine, 1m33.257s, C3 - 76 laps
- Hulkenberg, Haas, 1m33.329s, C3 - 77 laps
- Piastri, McLaren, 1m33.655s, C3 - 44 laps
- De Vries, AlphaTauri, 1m38.244s, C3 - 87 laps
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Checkered flag
11:42:47 am
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With that, it is time to sign off our live coverage of F1 pre-season testing. Thank you for joining us across the last three days, it has been a blast, and we do it again with the Bahrain GP on the 3-5 March. Until then, go well!
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60
Photo by: Mark Sutton
Breaking news
11:37:16 am
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Here's a round-up on today's action, hot off the press: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/2023-f1-bahrain-test-perez-ends-pre-season-on-top/10436535/
11:33:59 am
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Never fear, not long until F1 cars are back on track again. First practice at the Bahrain GP starts at 11:30am GMT on Friday. Until then, we wait.
Checkered flag
11:30:14 am
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The red flags are out for the final time today so that's your lot. 2023 F1 pre-season testing is officially over.
11:28:34 am
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11:28:09 am
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Now it is time for one-by-one standing practice starts which are far more sedate. Boring, let's call them what they are.
11:26:41 am
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The practice rolling start ends up with three abreast into Turn 1, Tsunoda leading from the battling Perez and Bottas as Norris backs out of it. Then Bottas dives up the inside of Perez to take second! Well, not really, but that was fun.
11:23:36 am
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Tsunoda leads out a seven-car train for a trial formation lap followed by a rolling start test. It is called testing for a reason, I guess.
11:20:53 am
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The red flags are out for the next control systems check. After that it should be a practice start, which almost went very wrong yesterday and narrowly avoided being a multi-car pile-up.
11:18:18 am
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It means Perez will end the final day on top from Hamilton, with Bottas third nipping in front of the two Ferraris.
11:17:20 am
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Perez's halo has been gunged in green flow-vis paint as the day's running winds down. The last 15 minutes will be held for virtual safety car and other race controls tests so the meaningful running is complete.
11:15:03 am
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It has also been an impressive showing by Ferrari, Aston Martin and Alpine for different reasons, while Mercedes has been up and down but is finishing today feeling much better than yesterday.
11:12:58 am
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From our view, Red Bull has enjoyed a really strong test. Most other teams have something to focus on or worry about but the reigning champions haven't missed a beat.
11:07:08 am
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We are into the embers of pre-season testing. Let us know who you think has starred and who has struggled?
11:01:15 am
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It wasn't to be for Bottas, who put in a 1m31.054s so doesn't improve and stays third.
10:58:38 am
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Bottas is back out on some shiny new C5s, so you know what that means. The Finn will keep it pinned next time around.
10:57:12 am
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Not another one! You're joking! To quote Brenda from Bristol, Perez goes for a new quali-style lap, setting some fastest mini sectors, but he catches Norris at the final corner and doesn't improve overall.
Stopwatch
10:52:12 am
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Bottas, on the C5s, joins the party at the top of the times. The Finn goes third with a 1m30.827s to go half a second off Perez.
10:50:29 am
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At Turn 10 Perez almost makes friends with the outside barrier as he carries far too much speed into the corner and drifts off track. The Mexican backs off and keeps the RB19 away from the wall but his lap is ruined.
Stopwatch
10:48:11 am
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Norris puts in an improvement on the C3 tyres of 1m32.160s to go 11th but it didn't look the smoothest of sailing for the Brit in the McLaren.
10:46:31 am
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But there is only seven days to wait to find out the true pecking order because this time next week we'll be heading into Q3 of qualifying for the Bahrain GP.
10:45:11 am
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Given what Verstappen was producing yesterday with the RB19 and what Perez is doing today, this display from the Red Bull team sends out an ominous warning to the rest.
Stopwatch
10:41:37 am
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The Red Bull driver duly delivers with a 1m30.305s to put himself 0.359s clear of nearest challenger Hamilton. That lap was also faster than last year's pole time set by Leclerc - granted, Perez has done it with one step softer tyres.
10:39:43 am
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Perez is on a new set of C4s again to have another crack at improving his best lap time.
10:36:41 am
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Ocon is hopping along in the Alpine which is riding very hard over the bumps. The Frenchman is on the C1 hard tyres, so very much not going for a headline time.
Stopwatch
10:35:04 am
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Magnussen moves up to sixth for Haas using the C4s to set a 1m31.381s. It gets many nods of approval from the team garage, they are very happy with how testing has gone.
10:33:32 am
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Good afternoon! I come here bounding full of energy as Woking have just taken the lead (the football club, not the F1 team based there). One more hour of pre-season testing. It is now or never.
10:30:37 am
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There's now just one hour of testing to go, so it's a time for the final handover of the Autosport live comms baton as Haydn Cobb will now guide you through the last running.
Stopwatch
10:26:53 am
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It's up to eighth for Magnussen with a 1m31.890s, 1.2s off the ultimate pace.
10:25:53 am
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Magnussen was one of the few drivers yet to switch to the soft tyres, but he has now so let's see where the Haas can climb up to.
Stopwatch
10:23:30 am
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And it's an improvement for Hamilton but he's still 0.048s slower than Perez! Hamilton lost out in the final sector and it could be that the ultra-soft C5s are struggling to last an entire lap.
10:22:31 am
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As we watch Hamilton, Tsunoda has now jumped up to fifth having also bolted on the C4s.
10:21:45 am
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Hamilton is going to try to claim back top spot now! He's back out on the C5s and is up in the first sector.
10:19:40 am
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Now, is that time going to be beaten in the final hour-and-a-bit of running?
Stopwatch
10:18:35 am
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And he goes to the top! It's a 1m30.616s for Perez on the C4s, 0.15s faster than the even softer C5 previous pacesetter Hamilton used.
10:17:26 am
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Perez is now showing what he's really capable of on the soft tyres and is setting plenty of purple mini-sectors.
Stopwatch
10:15:45 am
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Teams are therefore completing a number of short runs to simulate qualifying - and Magnussen is the latest to improve, rising to ninth on the C3s for Haas.
10:15:03 am
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It's worth considering that exactly one week from now, qualifying will be under way and the 2023 F1 season starts in earnest. And, as always after testing, it's difficult to tell how that session will play out!
10:14:25 am
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Some of the themes of testing are continuing this afternoon, most notably that McLaren is struggling. Norris has been in the garage for a long time again now as the Woking team continues to have a difficult day. In fact, in the whole afternoon so far he has managed just 17 laps.
10:10:14 am
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Tsunoda, meanwhile, has gone slightly faster on his C3s but stays eighth.
Pagination
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By: Autosport Staff
Published: Feb 25, 2023, 4:42 PM
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