Max Verstappen leads Red Bull in practice three at the Bahrain GP

Max Verstappen 0.2s faster than Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas third in Mercedes; Alex Albon 0.6s back in another leading midfield from Red Bull, McLaren and AlphaTauri; Watch the qualification live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm

Max Verstappen looks set to take on Mercedes in qualifying for the Bahrain GP after impressively setting the pace in Saturday’s final practice ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

The Red Bull star had followed Hamilton in both sessions on Friday, but nailed his laps on soft tires in P3, with his 1: 28.355 0.263s faster than the 2020 Drivers’ Champion and a tenth of a second ahead. scored by Valtteri Bottas.

Verstappen, who completed two low-fuel qualifying simulation laps, was also faster than both Mercedes after initial efforts. Meanwhile, Hamilton seemed to have a steering wheel problem late in the hour.

Although the final practice sessions were conducted in unrepresentative conditions compared to qualifying and the race, under the sun compared to the floodlights, Verstappen’s pace raises hopes of a battle for pole, with qualification starting at 2 pm, live on Sky Sports F1.

“To be two or three tenths ahead of Mercedes, it’s a very impressive effort from Max Verstappen,” said Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok.

“And Bottas seems to be back in the game.”

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Max Verstappen was fastest in P3 before qualifying at the Bahrain GP, ​​Lewis Hamilton was second and Valtteri Bottas was third.

Mercedes found itself in a Red Bull sandwich, although Alex Albon, who took a heavy fall on Friday and later changed his chassis, was slightly off the pace in fourth, 0.6 seconds slower than his teammate.

McLaren and AlphaTauri led a competitive midfield, with Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris occupying positions five to eight, with Racing Point completing the top 10 ahead of the Renaults.

Ferrari has struggled to join that battle this weekend and Sebastian Vettel was their leading car in 13th in practice three, with Charles Leclerc three tenths and two places further behind.

Alfa Romeo and George Russell look to lead the fight for a place in Q2 once the shooting begins.