Ferrari concluded the 2024 Formula 1 pre-season testing on a high note, with Charles Leclerc surpassing Mercedes’ George Russell to claim the fastest time on the third day. Leclerc’s impressive lap of 1m30.322s, although not the quickest overall, proved to be the fastest of the day. Russell also put up a strong performance, coming in just 0.046 seconds behind Leclerc with a lap time of 1m30.368s. Zhou Guanyu of Sauber secured the third spot with a late flying lap that was 0.325s off the benchmark. Max Verstappen, who had been a close contender for Leclerc, trailed by four tenths in his Red Bull.
The Ferrari team showcased their competitiveness throughout the testing period, both on single-lap runs and during long-run simulations. A comparison between Ferrari and Red Bull was made possible during the final two hours of testing, which primarily focused on long runs. Leclerc’s 10-lap stint on the C1 tire, the hardest compound available, proved to be faster than Verstappen’s performance. However, it should be noted that Verstappen used a harder C3 compound, which is the mid-range option for testing but the softest tire available for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix.
Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon also made their mark in the closing stages, completing flying laps on the C4 tires. Tsunoda managed to stay within half a second of Leclerc’s pace, while Albon, who completed the full day for Williams, finished two tenths further behind. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso also logged significant mileage during the final two hours. Their earlier single-lap efforts on the C3 tires placed them in seventh and eighth positions, respectively.
Despite a slow start for McLaren due to a reported clutch issue that limited Lando Norris to only 20 laps, Piastri made up for lost time in the afternoon, completing 91 laps. Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez, who ran longer than the other drivers during the morning session, rounded out the top 10 at the end of the day.
Nico Hulkenberg set the fastest time for Haas during the afternoon session, coming in 11th overall with a lap time of 1m31.686s, 1.3 seconds off the pace.
Here is the final ranking of the drivers’ lap times:
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1m30.322s
2. George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.046s
3. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) – +0.325s
4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.433s
5. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – +0.453s
6. Alex Albon (Williams) – +0.662s
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.708s
8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +0.837s
9. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – +0.925s
10. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – +1.161s
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) – +1.364s
12. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – +1.677s
13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – +1.716s
14. Lando Norris (McLaren) – +1.786s
15. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +1.827s
16. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) – +2.731s
17. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) – +2.757s
18. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) – +3.206s
19. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) – +6.693s