Day 3 of the F1 Bahrain test: this is your guidebook!

On Friday, the day at the Bahrain International Circuit is also split into two sessions. The first session starts at 10:00 local time (8:00 CET / 7:00 GMT) and lasts until 14:00 local time (12:00 CET / 11:00 GMT). The afternoon session starts at 15:00 Bahrain time (13:00 CET / 12:00 GMT) and ends after four hours at 19:00 local time.

Who will be in action on Friday?

Morning (Start 8:00 CET / 7:00 GMT):
Red Bull - Sergio Perez
Ferrari -
Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton
Alpine - Esteban Ocon
McLaren - Lando Norris
Stake F1 - Valtteri Bottas
Aston Martin - Lance Stroll
Haas - Kevin Magnussen
Visa Cash App RB - Daniel Ricciardo
Williams - Alex Albon

Afternoon (Start 13:00 CET / 12:00):
Red Bull - Max Verstappen
Ferrari -
Mercedes - George Russell
Alpine -PierreGasly
McLaren -OscarPiastri
Stake F1 - Guanyu Zhou
Aston Martin -Fernando Alonso
Haas - Nico Hulkenberg
Visa Cash App F1 - Yuki Tsunoda
Williams - Alex Albon

What's the weather like in Bahrain?

It remains wonderfully pleasant in Bahrain, with temperatures just above 20 degrees Celsius. On the concluding day of testing, the raincoats can once again stay in the hotel room, as it remains dry.

What stood out during the second day of testing?

Sergio Perez is no Max Verstappen. We already knew that, but it became clear again on the second day of testing. Max Verstappen excelled in the RB20 almost immediately on the opening day, but Perez seemed to have more trouble settling down. While Verstappen had proved to be the fastest by far on Wednesday, Perez failed to top the timesheet. One reason, of course, is that Perez was not driving on the soft tyre, something Carlos Sainz did.

What should we look out for on day 3?

The third day in Bahrain is the last, so the next time the teams take to the track will be at the Grand Prix weekend. Those who have red soft tyres (all apart from McLaren and Alpine) will probably use them. This way, qualifying mode can be tested, as it will be needed next week. Will we then really see how fast the teams are this season?

Ferrari are in good shape

Absolutely! Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were competitive on Thursday, which surely gives encouragement to Italian fans. But it is still a test. When a qualifying simulation is done later on Friday - in which Max Verstappen is also likely to take part - we will see how Ferrari's fastest lap compares with Red Bull's. Don't overlook McLaren either.

How do you follow all the action?

GPblog will of course once again keep you up to date with all the happenings on the track throughout the day via a liveblog. If you still want to watch live yourself, you can follow Sky Sports F1 in the United Kingdom. Testing is also shown on F1TV in most countries around the world.