Max Verstappen threw down the challenge to Mercedes with a lightning-fast lap in final practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
As the highly-anticipated first qualifying session of 2021 approaches, the Red Bull driver bolted on a set of soft and produced a 1m30.577s to finish seven-tenths clear of Lewis Hamilton.
Pierre Gasly is known as a Sakhir specialist and put himself third in the AlphaTauri, ahead of a frustrated Valtteri Bottas as the Finn had several times deleted for track limits early on.
Sergio Perez was 1.3s slower than Verstappen in fifth in the second Red Bull, as Carlos Sainz continued Ferrari’s solid weekend in sixth.
Highlighting how competitive 2021 could be, eight different teams had drivers inside the top 10, with Kimi Raikkonen seventh for Alfa Romeo, Esteban Ocon eighth for Alpine and Lance Stroll ninth for Aston Martin.
At the tail of the top 10 was McLaren, who, after their impressive Friday, appeared to be struggling as Daniel Ricciardo was only P10, with teammate Lando Norris in 16th.
Charles Leclerc continued to lag behind Sainz in 11th, with Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso 14th and 15th as they lack pace.
A battle between Williams and Haas appears to be brewing as George Russell finished just a tenth clear of Mick Schumacher, with teammates Nikita Mazepin and Nicholas Latifi bringing up the field.
Now though it’s almost time for the games to stop and the reality of just who has the best car to start the new season to be revealed.
That will come under the lights in qualifying in less than two hours time.
Full results from final practice can be seen below:
