Sergio Perez ensured Red Bull ended Formula 1 pre-season testing on top by going fastest on the final day in Bahrain.
In a flurry of softer tyre runs during the early evening, the Mexican posted a 1m30.305s on the C4 compound to lead Lewis Hamilton's C5-shod Mercedes by three-tenths of a second.
With the RB19 all to himself on Saturday, Perez also completed a mighty 133 laps on another smooth day of running for the defending champions.
After the issues of Friday, Mercedes enjoyed a much more promising final day as Hamilton and teammate George Russell combined for 148 laps around the Bahrain circuit.
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 25, 2023
The question on everyone's lips, which applies for every team it must be said, is how much is left in the tank of the W14 to unleash at the season opener next weekend.
Highlighting this was Valtteri Bottas claiming third for Alfa Romeo, just two-tenths behind Hamilton on the same tyres.
An impressive 131 laps from the Finn also marked a good recovery after causing the only mechanical red flag during the morning session due to a suspected power unit issue.
Ferrari's solid pre-season concluded with just 0.012s between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in fourth and fifth, potentially a sign of what's to come between the two drivers in 2023.
Hot weather in Bahrain 🌶🔥#SF23 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/PnSnaQKMZX
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 25, 2023
Yuki Tsunoda moved AlphaTauri upto sixth, ahead of Kevin Magnussen in seventh for Haas.
Russell was eighth, followed by Fernando Alonso, who produced a very strong long run in the Aston Martin amid a few niggly issues.
McLaren's struggles remained as the team only completed 81 laps on Saturday, with Lando Norris adding 37 to the 44 done by Oscar Piastri in the morning.
Alpine's inconspicuous test also continued with Pierre Gasly 12th and Esteban Ocon 14th, the pair of them opting to run nothing more than the C3 tyre.
Mileage for days! Alex clocks up 136 laps today, the most of any driver 🥵
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) February 25, 2023
Chapeau Albono!#WeAreWilliams pic.twitter.com/qV01WNFgj9
Alex Albon managed a 'best of the day' 136 laps in the Williams in 13th, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in 15th for Haas.
Morning runners Piastri and Nyck De Vries completed the timesheet.
Back at the front and there's no surprise to see Red Bull on top after a near-perfect three days for the Milton Keynes-based team.
But now comes the wait to see what the true pecking order will be when the shackles come off in the season opener in Bahrain next weekend.
Full results from Day 3 can be seen below:
Perez puts Red Bull on top as #F1Testing comes to an end in Bahrain! #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/zv3PhjzKMW
— InsideRacing.com (@INSIDERACINGcom) February 25, 2023
