Max Verstappen blazes the timing boards, Lewis Hamilton struggles on Day 3 of F1 testing in Bahrain 

Max Verstappen blitzed the desert circuit by topping the timesheets on the final day of F1 testing in Bahrain. Setting his own benchmark, the reigning champion was 0.521 seconds clear off the rest of the field.

The Red Bull F1 champion was constantly the quickest throughout the session. His fastest lap was clocked at 1 minute 31.720 seconds on the softest Pirelli C5 tire compound.

The Dutchman one-upped team-mate Sergio Perez's time on the C5 tire by three-tenths of a second, while using the C3 tire. Completing 53 laps in total, his fastest lap on the final day was the quickest of all three days and was an indicator of Red Bull’s place in the pecking order on the grid.

Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher clocked the second-fastest lap of the day, racking up a total mileage of 64 laps. His team-mate Kevin Magnussen, however, managed to complete only 38 laps earlier in the day on the C2 hard compound tire. The Dane, who was fastest yesterday, was the slowest driver of the day in 18th place.

Like his Danish counterpart yesterday, the German earned an extra two hours of testing time after all the teams had returned to their garages.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc clocked the third-fastest lap on the C4 compound tire and completed 51 laps in total. Completing 122 laps, Fernando Alonso set the fourth-fastest time on a C4 compound tire and was the second busiest driver of the day.

Mercedes' George Russell was the fifth-fastest driver of the day completing 78 laps but was a whole second off Red Bull’s Verstappen. Despite being on the same tire compound, the Briton was unable to improve on the timesheets.

While some Mercedes rivals believe the team might be masking their true potential, Lewis Hamilton is adamant about their struggles in Bahrain being real. The seven-time world champion completed a total of 78 laps and his fastest lap was 4.4 seconds slower that his Red Bull rival on the same tire compound. The Briton was the second slowest driver of the day and classified 17th on the timesheets.

Alfa Romeo F1's Valtteri Bottas went sixth-fastest on the C3 medium compound tire and completed a total of 68 laps. Alpha Tauri driver Yuki Tsunoda was the seventh-fastest driver and completed a total of 57 laps. The Japanese driver’s team-mate Pierre Gasly, who was quickest on the first day of the F1 test, was the 12th-fastest driver of the day completing 91 laps in total.

Red Bull’s Mexican driver Perez was eighth-fastest but was 1.3 seconds off his team-mate on the C3 medium compound tire. He, however, set his fastest lap of the morning and was the fastest driver of the session. The reigning champion’s team-mate completed a total of 43 laps.

McLaren driver Lando Norris, who drove the MCL36 for the third day in a row, completed a total of 90 laps and was the ninth-fastest driver of the day. The British driver’s team-mate Daniel Ricciardo tested positive for the novel coronavirus, making him do the heavy-lifting for the team in the final F1 pre-season test.

Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel was the tenth-fastest driver of the day with his fastest lap clocked using the C3 medium tire. Meanwhile, the German’s team-mate Lance Stroll was classified as the 15th-fastest.

---

What is the pecking order after the final day of F1 testing?

Despite Ferrari showing consistently strong form in the six days of testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, the Red Bull F1 team stole the show on the final day of the test. The Maranello drivers racked up a total mileage of 119 laps while the Red Bull drivers completed a total mileage of 96 laps. While the Ferraris have been consistently quick, the Red Bull F1 team updated their side-pods and floor which saw a turnaround in their performance. From the beginning, however, the team had refused to show its full hand in terms of performance.

Reigning champions Mercedes were trailing in their performance and were even slower than Alpha Tauri when Hamilton battled Gasly in a small duel in the morning session. Their rivals, however, suggested they might be sand-bagging as their struggles with balance continued. In terms of mileage, both their drivers completed a total of 149 laps.

Even customer team McLaren’s MCL36 with Norris behind the wheel is looking more competitive than the Mercedes factory team in terms of performance. Apart from brake issues on the second day, the Papaya Orange team might not be far away from Ferrari in terms of pace.

Alpha Tauri drivers Gasly and Tsunoda looked extremely competitive throughout the day as they racked up a total mileage of 148 laps. The Red Bull sister team might be the most competitive in midfield, or even fighting up front, since the AT03 is more agile in Bahrain compared to the RB18.

The Alpine F1 team saw both their drivers rack up and lose mileage in the last two days of the test. Alonso’s lap time on the final day and Ocon’s lap time from the second day in Bahrain was an indicator that the team have resolved their teething issues. They were also able to improve on their reliability, given their mileage over the last two days.

Overall, the Red Bull team displayed their aerodynamic prowess and seemed unbothered by their rivals throughout the three days. Ferrari could be the closest team to the Milton Keynes squad unless the rumors about Mercedes sandbagging are true.