Raikkonen reigns in final Bahrain practice

F1 Grand Prix, GP Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit

Final practice ahead of qualifying saw Kimi Raikkonen dominate at the Bahrain International Circuit, topping his nearest rivals by half a second. Those rivals were Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bulls, while others were even further back.

Mercedes for instance do not appear equally at ease like they usually do, with Lewis Hamilton the fastest Mercedes in 4th, 8 tenths down. Vettel and Bottas were closely behind.

Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz put Renault in 7th and 8th, ahead of a continuously strong Gasly for Toro Rosso and Fernando Alonso who completed the top 10 for McLaren.

Still, it may not paint a true picture, as qualifying and race conditions will be cooler due to these happening at dusk, supported by artificial lighting. FP3 however was held at around the warmest moment of the day, with the sun eager to heat up the track surface.

Perhaps the most interesting moment of the session was Sebastian Vettel's unexpected return to the pits after just 20 minutes in the session. As the right hand side bargeboard had come loose, the German returned to the pits slowly, where Ferrari mechanics were able to rectify the situation quickly.