12/04/2025
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's qualifying session the air temperature is 26 degrees C, while the track temperature is 32 degrees.
While this morning's session, like FP1, was pretty much unrepresentative due to the fact this took place in daylight, both session highlighted the problems drivers are finding with grip and the wind.
Oscar Piastri was very much the dominant force earlier, as he was yesterday evening, and must head into qualifying feeling very confident.
However, in all three session we have seen mistakes and therefore nothing can be taken for granted.
McLaren clearly has superior pace here, but that could count for nothing if either driver puts a foot wrong.
While Yuki Tsunoda continues to struggle, it was observed that Isack Hadjar out-paced Mas Verstappen, and Kimi Antonelli continues to give George Russell a run for his money.
For once, Carlos Sainz appeared to have the advantage over his teammate, while Pierre Gasly has impressed all weekend.
In the previous three session track limits weren't enforced, but all that changes now and a lot of drivers will be quite nervous heading into the session.
The fact is that this is another of those session where anything can and probably will happen.
For what it's worth, based on their qualifying sims, Red Bull is around 0.39s off the McLaren's pace, Ferrari 0.42, Mercedes 0.46 and RB 0.6. Aston Martin is an incredible 1.3s off... and, presumably, that's with the steering wheel attached.
There has been considerable work in the Red Bull garage over the break with the set-up on Tsunoda's car radically changed, the Japanese not having run the softs earlier.
At McLaren, the Woking outfit has been seeking to make Norris more comfortable in his car.
Stroll is first out, as Q1 gets underway, the Canadian followed by Hulkenberg and Alonso.
Stroll posts a benchmark 33.575 however Hulkenberg responds with a 32.810 as the Canadian's time is deleted for running wide in Turn 13.
Alonso posts a 32.362 as Verstappen heads out.
Soon all be Ocon and the Mercedes pair are on track, the Haas driver appearing to have had a change of seat.
Having gone quickest in S1, Verstappen runs wide in the final corner and aborts, as teammate Tsunoda goes top with a 32.096.
A 31.919 sees Doohan go top, as Verstappen warns: "There's something really wrong with the car."
Tsunoda's time is deleted having gone wide in the final corner (Turn 15).
Hamilton goes second, 0.043s down on Doohan, as Sainz goes third, ahead of Gasly and Alonso.
Leclerc goes top with a 31.454, as Piastri responds with a 31.392 and Norris a 31.107.
Antonelli goes fourth and Albon tenth as Alonso improves to fifth with a 31.916.
Russell can only manage seventh, as Ocon posts a 32.057 to go ninth.
Hulkenberg goes tenth, as the Red Bull pair remain 19th and 20th, neither having posted a time.
Antonelli leads the way as the final assault begins. He is followed by fellow rookies Bearman, Bortoleto, then Stroll and Hadjar. Piastri heads out, while his teammate appears to have settled.
As Bearman, currently 15th, begins his flyer, Norris heads down the pitlane, possibly to scrub a set of softs.
Antonelli leapfrogs Leclerc - the only driver not on track - to claim third with a 34.415, as Bortoleto goes 13th, Hadjar 5th and Sainz 6th.
Gasly goes fifth as Hamilton goes quickest in S1.
Doohan goes third with a 31.414.
Lawson goes 14th and Hamilton second (31.219), as Verstappen goes third with a 31.303.
Tsunoda goes eleventh and Russell ninth, thereby demoting Albon and Lawson to the drop zone.
Quickest is Norris, ahead of Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, Doohan, Antonelli, Leclerc, Gasly, Russell and Hadjar.
We lose Albon, Lawson, Bortoleto, Stroll and Bearman.
"Sorry guys," says Albon, "but I don't really..."
Elsewhere, Lawson appeared to suffer a DRS malfunction.
"I think it's on all of us really," explains James Vowles of Albon's failure to make the cut. "He locked up which wasn't great but he had a lot of traffic and wasn't able to push."
"We went out very late," says the Thai driver, "I had to overtake four or five cars on my out-lap. We were sat in the pit lane with the blankets off for a long time.
"I think we should have been close to Q3, but it was going to be tight," he admits. "Strategy is going to be important, this isn't going to be a Suzuka."
Tsunoda is first out for Q2, the Japanese followed by Hulkenberg, Ocon, Antonelli and Russell.
Soon all bar Alonso are on track.
The session is red-flagged after Ocon goes off at Turn 3 and into the barrier.
The rear of the car is badly damaged, and while the Frenchman is quick to tell his team he is OK, it takes him some time to climb from the car.
"I'm sorry," he says as the replay shows him clipping the inside kerb and losing the rear. The he tried to correct things he went into the barrier backwards.
Antonelli leads the way when the session resumes, he is followed by Russell, Hulkenberg, Sainz and Hadjar.
Soon all bar Tsunoda are on track.
The Mercedes pair could be in trouble for leaving their garages before the session resumption time was announced.
Antonelli posts a benchmark 31.178, while Russell can only manage a 31.407.
Sainz splits the Mercedes pair with a 31.332 as Gasly goes fourth, ahead of Hulkenberg.
Verstappen aborts his lap, which was looking very good, but aborted.
Piastri goes quickest with a 30.454 as Norris goes second and Leclerc third, the Ferrari driver 0.6s off the pace.
Doohan goes sixth, ahead of Russell and Gasly as Tsunoda finally heads out.
With just over 3 minutes remaining, Hamilton, Verstappen, Hadjar, Alonso and Tsunoda have yet to post times.
Antonelli improves to third, but is demoted by his teammate who posts a 30.664.
Tsunoda goes sixth (31.228) but is demoted when Hamilton goes fifth.
Hadjar goes eighth, but drops to ninth when Gasly goes third.
A 31.019 puts Verstappen seventh.
Alonso can only manage 14th, as countryman Sainz goes sixth.
Doohan goes eleventh, while Hulkenberg remains 13th.
"Good job today, maximise, thank you guys," says Alonso.
On board reveals just how much Verstappen is struggling with understeer.
Quickest is Piastri, ahead of Norris, Gasly, Russell, Antonelli, Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton, Verstappen and Tsunoda.
We lose Doohan, Hadjar, Alonso, Ocon and Hulkenberg.
Check out our Saturday gallery from Manama here.
Tsunoda heads the queue at the end of the pitlane, the Japanese followed by his Red Bull teammate, Antonelli, Sainz and Russell.
Only the Mercedes pair are on fresh rubber.
Tsunoda posts a 31.637 and Verstappen 32.057, however both are demoted when Antonelli stops the clock at 31.494.
"My brakes are terrible, I can't brake at all," moans Verstappen.
Russell goes top with a 30.364 as Hamilton goes second and Gasly fifth.
The McLaren pair trade fastest sectors.
Leclerc goes second but Piastri responds with a 30.233 to go top.
Norris stops the clock at 30.396 which is only good enough for third.
Antonelli locked-up in Turn 1, while Verstappen is currently tenth.
After some delay, Hulkenberg, Albon, Antonelli and Hamilton have their times deleted. Very odd.
So, the Italian and Briton drop to ninth and tenth with no times on the board.
As we scratch our heads, the final assault gets underway.
Russell goes purple in S1, as Tsunoda goes fourth with a 31.303.
Antonelli goes top with a 30.213, but Russell responds with a 30.009.
Hamilton goes fifth, but is demoted when Gasly goes fourth.
Leclerc goes second with a 30.175, but Piastri crosses the line at 29.841.
Norris aborts after making a mistake at the start of the lap, leaving him sixth, 0.426s off the pace and just ahead of Verstappen.
Well, we expected a few surprises but not Norris finishing sixth and Gasly fifth.
And, no disrespect intended, we didn't expect to see Russell on the front row.
All of which points to even more surprises tomorrow.
"Honestly, I didn't expect P3," admits Leclerc. "At the beginning of Q3 everything felt really bad with the old tyres, but as soon as we put on the new tyres everything felt better. I did not expect it but I am very happy.
"The team has pushed like crazy to bring those upgrades here," he adds. "It's a small gain, not a big one but next week it should be a bit more of a step."
"If anyone said we would be within half a second of the McLarens, we'd have taken it as we'd have been P3 on the grid," says Russell, "so to be P2 is a bonus.
"The night time coming in, the temperatures getting cooler, earlier when it was roasting hot, the McLarens were down the road," he adds.
"I felt confident out there all weekend," says Piastri. "FP3 we had good pace, and qualifying, the others caught up a little closer than I wanted, but I delivered the laps when it mattered so very, very happy.
"I have to get to Turn 1 in first," he adds, looking ahead to tomorrow, "so let's see what happens but I've felt comfortable all weekend.
"I can't thank the team enough for the car they have given me."
"Extremely happy for Oscar, that was a mega lap," says Zak Brown, "he has been quick all weekend.
"Lando had an issue in the first sector, so we underperformed there," he adds.
"Oscar is getting stronger and stronger, he didn't put a wheel wrong. He's just getting on with it.
"Tomorrow is a new day," he says of Norris. "He's got a good race car."
Check out our Saturday gallery from Manama here.