Leclerc fifth, Hamilton sixth for Ferrari in final Bahrain Grand Prix practice at Sepang
Charles Leclerc set the fifth fastest time and Lewis Hamilton the sixth as Scuderia Ferrari HP finished the third and final free practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.
- 1'37"016
- 1'37"041
- 19
- 15
What Happened
Scuderia Ferrari HP drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ended the third and final free practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang with the fifth and sixth fastest times respectively. The Ferraris waited a few minutes before heading out on track, and Leclerc was the first to leave the pits. He ran on a set of Hard tyres, completing five laps and setting a best time of 1'37"772 before the session was red-flagged because of debris on the racing line at Turn 9. Once the session resumed, Leclerc continued on the same set of tyres, while Hamilton ran a new set of Softs and stopped the clocks at 1'38"160.
1'37"016
Fifth fastest overall in the final practice session at Sepang
- 1'37"016 (fifth fastest)
- 1'37"041 (sixth fastest)
- The Ferraris waited a few minutes before heading out on track, with Leclerc the first to leave the pits
- Leclerc's opening run was five laps on Hard tyres, with a best time of 1'37"772
- The session was red-flagged because of debris on the racing line at Turn 9
- After the restart, Leclerc stayed on the same set of tyres while Hamilton ran a new set of Softs, clocking 1'38"160
In the final ten minutes, both cars went out on new Softs. Leclerc set the fifth fastest time of the session, 1'37"016, while Hamilton finished sixth in 1'37"041. Over the session, Leclerc completed 19 laps and his team-mate did 15.
Previously from Ferrari N.V.
A day earlier at Sepang, Charles Leclerc topped the times for Scuderia Ferrari HP in the second free practice session, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton fifth fastest. In the opening practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, Leclerc was fourth and Hamilton sixth.
- Leclerc fastest in second Bahrain GP practice at Sepang, Hamilton fifth for Ferrari
- Ferrari's Leclerc fourth, Hamilton sixth in Bahrain Grand Prix FP1 at Sepang
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ferrari N.V.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Free practice is the last track running before a Grand Prix weekend's competitive sessions, so Ferrari's fifth and sixth places give an early read on the team's pace at Sepang. Both Scuderia Ferrari HP drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, took part, with Leclerc the quicker of the two on the day.
Terms in This Story
- Free practice
- Timed sessions held before a race weekend's qualifying and race, in which teams test car setups, tyres and pace.
- Red flag
- A signal that stops a session immediately, usually because of debris or an incident on the track.
- Hard tyres
- A harder tyre compound that generally lasts longer but offers less grip than a softer compound.
- Softs
- The softest, grippiest tyre compound, which usually produces faster lap times but wears more quickly.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.