F1 LIVE | Follow Qualifying in Bahrain here!
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The third and final free practice session for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix is about to take place at the Bahrain International Circuit. The on-track action will move back to the foreground again as drivers have one more hour of free practice before the meaningful sessions. Mercedes had a strong Friday, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finishing first and second in FP2. Will that stay the same? Or will Red Bull and Max Verstappen regain the top spot ahead of qualifying? Follow our liveblog below.
F1 LIVE | FP3: Bahrain Grand Prix
What do we expect in FP3?
This weekend's motto is: expect the unexpected. During Friday's FP2 session, a proverbial bomb exploded in the paddock. An email, seen by GPblog, was sent to journalists and key figures within the Formula 1 world containing a link to alleged "evidence" about Christian Horner's case. FP3 will mark the first full official F1 session since. After some overnight talk, the attention can finally be switched back to the on-track action.
Red Bull Racing had a difficult day. The rumours regarding Red Bull being one second ahead were dismissed, and Sergio Perez said these "made him smile". Verstappen and Red Bull suggested other teams have turned up their engines, but Mercedes claim they still have 'scope for more'. We expect Red Bull to turn their engines up slightly for this session, but they definitely will for this afternoon's qualifying session. It's also good to keep an eye on Haas in this session. They had a very quiet testing session and FP1 but had a lot more pace in FP2. Ferrari will also be hoping for more in this session, while McLaren seems to have good pace on a circuit that doesn't really suit them.
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Why are FP3 and qualifying on a Friday?
The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend must be finished on Saturday to allow enough time to travel to Saudi Arabia next weekend. The Saudi Arabian weekend has been moved forward a day to avoid a clash with Ramadan. Therefore, the weekend in Bahrain also needs to move forward one day. Two practice sessions took place on Thursday, with the third and final practice hour on Friday. Qualifying takes place on Friday evening, with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.