Lewis Hamilton ended pre-season testing quickest with a final run in the afternoon on Sunday to post a 1:33.278.
The Briton lost much of the morning due to a gearbox problem, but made up for the lack of running in the afternoon to post 69 laps in total.
His time fell just 0.02 seconds of the very best time in Bahrain posted by Felipe Massa on Saturday.
Williams’ strong form continued however with Valtteri Bottas taking second, albeit seven-tenths off Hamilton’s time.
The session was extended by 25 minutes thanks to the number of red flag stoppages which totalled eight.
Fernando Alonso caused one of those when he stopped at turn 12 with a yet unknown issue. The Spaniard posted Ferrari’s quickest lap of the test.
Sebastian Vettel’s struggles continued. Whilst the Red Bull driver completed 78 laps, it was at a reduced pace which saw his best lap over four seconds slower than the lead. The German also span at one points as he tried to push the RB10.
Engine failures were also the talk of the day. Romain Grosjean, Jenson Button and Nico Hulkenberg all suffered failures which called an end to their days running.
Bahrain Testing Times (Sunday):
# | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33.278 | 69 | |
02 | V. Bottas | Williams | 1:33.987 | +0.709 | 108 |
03 | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:34.280 | +1.002 | 74 |
04 | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:35.577 | +2.299 | 74 |
05 | J-E. Vergne | Toro Rosso | 1:35.701 | +2.423 | 74 |
06 | A. Sutil | Sauber | 1:36.467 | +3.189 | 91 |
07 | M. Chilton | Marussia | 1:36.835 | +3.557 | 61 |
08 | E. Gutierrez | Sauber | 1:37.303 | +4.025 | 67 |
09 | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:37.468 | +4.190 | 78 |
10 | J. Button | McLaren | 1:38.111 | +4.833 | 22 |
11 | K. Kobayashi | Caterham | 1:38.391 | +5.113 | 106 |
12 | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 1:39.517 | +6.239 | 32 |