Oscar Piastri didn’t just lead FP3—he crushed it. With a lap 0.668s clear of Lando Norris and nearly a full second ahead of Max Verstappen, McLaren looks untouchable heading into qualifying. The question now isn’t who’s on pole—it’s how far behind will everyone else be?
Ferrari managed a decent time on paper, but the mirror-shedding chaos continues, and Charles Leclerc’s list of weekend misfortunes keeps growing. Red Bull? Max finished behind a rookie and a VCARB. Yuki Tsunoda? Still no clean runs and the pressure is building.
And with low grip conditions making cars slide all over the place, the final practice session was equal parts revealing and ridiculous.
FP3 Results – Top 10
- Oscar Piastri – 1:31.646
- Lando Norris – 1:32.314
- Charles Leclerc – 1:32.480
- George Russell – 1:32.827
- Kimi Antonelli – 1:32.916
- Pierre Gasly – 1:32.974
- Isack Hadjar – 1:33.023
- Max Verstappen – 1:33.027
- Carlos Sainz – 1:33.092
- Lewis Hamilton – 1:33.111
McLaren: P1, P2, and Probably P1 Again
McLaren has built a weapon. Oscar Piastri didn’t just top the session, he cleared the field by nearly seven-tenths. Lando Norris followed in P2, but even he looked slightly off the ultimate pace. It’s becoming a pattern: McLaren shines in every condition—long runs, hot laps, hot track, cold track—it doesn’t matter.
Pierre Gasly, watching from behind, summed it up over radio:
“I can’t believe how fast these McLarens are at the moment.”
No one can. The team insists the rest of the grid is close, but let’s be real—this thing is rapid. And while the garage may be calm now, the only drama that might spice things up is whether someone blinks in Q3. Today’s game to make qualifying interesting is: Will the car closest to McLaren be within half a second? Or better yet: “How will McLaren mess it up this time?”
Ferrari: Mirrorless and Marginal
Leclerc managed P3 in the times, but the car continues to feel off, and the session wasn’t without incident. At one point, Charles’s left side mirror detached on the straight—because of course it did.
Just to recap Leclerc’s 2025 so far:
- Strategy meltdown in Australia
- Sprint setup error and DSQ in China
- Seat flooded by water by a drink system failure
- Broken wing mirror in Bahrain
- Lost front wing in China
- Still hasn’t qualified in the top 3 for any race or sprint yet
At this point, Ferrari’s reliability issues are no longer frustrating—they’re folklore.
Red Bull: Outpaced and Out of Rhythm
Max Verstappen finished eighth. Yuki Tsunoda still hasn’t completed a clean soft run this weekend. The RB21 is cooking its rear tires and struggling for bite mid-corner. In Bahrain heat, it’s just not working.
There’s always the chance they’re not running full power modes—Max rarely does in FP3—but even then, it’s clear McLaren has a raw pace advantage.
And while fans are quick to critique Tsunoda, others are wondering aloud whether the “promotion” to Red Bull was worth it.
Midfield & Rookies: Hadjar, Antonelli Impress Again
Both rookies showed up again today:
- Kimi Antonelli – P5
- Isack Hadjar – P7
Hadjar continues to put pressure on Red Bull’s senior lineup. Meanwhile, Hülkenberg only ran seven laps before his Ferrari PU shut itself down—apparently unresurrectable by MGU-K. Another reminder that reliability still rules the midfield.
And while the back half of the standings didn’t offer much clarity, remember: not everyone runs hot laps in FP3. Let’s not read too deep into those bottom times just yet.
Final Mood: Just Give McLaren the Trophy Already
- McLaren looks set to lock out the front row.
- Ferrari continues to be cursed, despite occasional pace.
- Red Bull has serious tire and setup problems.
- Yuki may not make Q3 at this rate.
- Gasly’s radio said what everyone’s thinking.
- Fans are already asking if the championship leader will bottle Q3 just to make the race interesting.
Right now, McLaren is so far ahead, people are wondering if they should just win both championships and get banned—for competitive balance.
But there’s one wildcard left before race day: qualifying. And if Bahrain’s low grip chaos continues, we might just get a little drama yet.