FP3: Sainz fastest in final practice, Red Bull report upshift problems

Carlos Sainz topped the timesheets in a busy FP3 session in Bahrain, followed by Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen. 

The session started slowly, as no cars took to the track after the first ten minutes. Lewis Hamilton was the first to take to a sunny Bahrain International Circuit, setting an early time on softs. He was followed by both Ferrari cars, who also used the soft compound. The first few runners were followed by a gaggle of cars, and as the track cooled, more drivers were tempted to get out on the track. 

Throughout the session, Sergio Perez struggled with his gearbox. He told his team radio multiple times, "The upshifts are really bad, guys."

Horner misses a fraction of the session for meeting with the FIA President:

According to Sky Sports, Horner missed a portion of FP3 for a meeting with Mohammed Ben Sulayem. he returned to the pit wall just in time to see his Red Bull team put their cars in position 1 and 2 after their first soft tyre runs. 

This didn't last for long, however, as Fernando Alonso, who possessed a huge amount of pace on the softs, led the session for around 20 minutes.

This was before a busy end to the session. As the track cooled, many drivers participated in some qualifying simulation runs. Although we are still unsure of Red Bull's true pace, they might be feeling a little bit displaced after this session. 

Carlos Sainz set a 1.30.824 on softs. His fellow Spaniard, Fernando Alonso, set a 1.30.965, and reigning world champion Max Verstappen was just behind with a time of 1.31.062.

Mercedes slower in FP3:

Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets in FP2 with a 1:30.364 on softs. Mercedes teammate George Russell was just behind him with a 1:30.580, and the Brit was impressed with his team's effort on Thursday. Despite this, the Mercedes team were further down the pecking order in FP3, finishing in 6th and 12th place.

Verstappen still remains the favourite for pole, after Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton, and now Carlos Sainz topped each free practice session, respectively.

Conditions are not representative of qualifying, which takes place after the sun has set, at 4PM GMT. (7PM Local Time)