Charles Leclerc Sets Fastest Time in Final Day of Pre-Season Testing
The final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain concluded with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc setting the fastest time on the track. Leclerc’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, had led the morning session before a broken drain cover interrupted the running for the second consecutive day. The repairs took 1 hour and 17 minutes, causing the cancellation of the planned lunch break. The teams decided to carry on until the chequered flag at 7 pm local time.
The testing session saw some early trouble for McLaren, as Lando Norris experienced an apparent clutch issue. Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas also had a restricted program due to his team working on the floor and rear end of his car. However, the afternoon brought a change in drivers, with Max Verstappen taking over from Sergio Perez in the Red Bull and Leclerc replacing Sainz in the Ferrari.
Leclerc quickly made his mark by securing the third-fastest time behind Sainz and Perez. However, Verstappen put down an impressive lap time of 1m30.763s on used C3 tires, followed by an even faster time of 1m30.409s by Leclerc on the softer C4 compound. It’s worth noting that the C4 tires won’t be used in the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix.
With two hours remaining, Leclerc continued to push and clocked a time of 1m30.322s, going four tenths clear of the reigning world champion. As the session progressed, most drivers shifted their focus to longer runs on the harder tires. However, Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull surprised everyone by using C4 tires to secure the third-fastest time in the final hour, just half a second behind Leclerc.
George Russell from Mercedes also made a strong showing, finishing second with a time of 1m30.368s, only 0.046s behind Leclerc. Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu followed closely in third place with a time of 1m30.647s, pushing Verstappen down to fourth.
Other notable performances included Alex Albon from Williams, who finished fifth with a late C4 lap, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who moved up to seventh and eighth place, respectively, towards the end of the test.
Overall, the pre-season testing provided valuable insights into the performance of the teams and drivers ahead of the 2024 season. The Bahrain Grand Prix, which will be held on a Saturday this year, marks the official start of the season. Fans can expect fierce competition and thrilling races as the drivers battle for the championship title.