F1 LIVE | Bahrain GP FP3: Will McLaren's rivals rise up to challenge them?

Red Bull were clearly off the pace with the issues that are now customary with the Austrian team, afflicting their performance once again. While Max Verstappen still found his way into the top 10, Tsunoda struggled and couldn't even get out of the bottom 5. Verstappen's and Helmut Marko's assessment? Red Bull are simply too slow.

For Ferrari it's a bit less touch and go, with teammates Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton often exchanging the 'benchmark' role within the team session to session. Albeit quicker than Red Bull, they are still lagging behind McLaren by a considerable amount, but seem to be ready for a podium fight against Mercedes.

The team led by George Russell is doing a very good job of being consistent, both in terms of pace and of results. Overheating of the rear tyres now seems to be a thing of the past, as the W16's performance seems untroubled by the hot conditions in Bahrain this weekend. Toto Wolff's team is, at the moment, looking like McLaren's closest rivals in the Middle East.

Of course, there's 'closest' and 'actually close'. During FP2 McLaren were able to exert a dominant authority the likes of which had not been seend since Red Bull's dominant 2023 season. Half a second was the gap between top man Oscar Piastri in P1 and George Russell in P3, the closest non McLaren car, with the Australian's teammate Lando Norris being a tenth and a half away from him in P2.

It's FP3 for the Bahrain Grand Prix, don't miss it!

You can see the full results for FP1 here, and for FP2 here!