Sergio Perez has fired a warning shot at his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen ahead of qualifying, the Mexican edging the Dutchman in the final practice session by 0.193s.
The bulls thus preserved their advantage over Mercedes rivals Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton who clocked in P3 and P4 in the final dress rehearsal session.
Further back, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda rounded off the top six.
Drivers took to the track amid predictably a warm and dry environment, with an air temperature of 17.5 °C and a track temperature of 35.3 °C.
Ahead of the start of the session, McLaren suggested that Lando Norris is set for a grid drop on Sunday following a Mercedes engine change in the papaya camp.
Drivers took a cautious approach to the opening laps of FP3, as a streak of cement covered an oil spill from a previous support race.
The action remained subdued during the first 15 minutes but gradually the traffic increased as the track cleaned up and got faster.
The Mercedes and Red Bull drivers traded places at the top of the timesheet until Ferrari's Charles Leclerc broke up the front-runners' party with a 1m18.213s.
But a very determined and soft-shod Perez immediately recouped the top spot by dipping into the 1m17s. However, the Mexican was dispatched in short order by Verstappen who shaved almost four tenths off his teammate's best time.
A flyer from Bottas allowed the Finn to split the bulls while Hamilton languished in P7, the Briton taking to the run-off area at Turn 1 after locking up his front-right, a plight also suffered by Norris and Alpine's Fernando Alonso.
With less than 10 minutes on the clock, Perez overhauled Bottas for second while Hamilton moved up to fourth, behind Bottas and just ahead of Sainz and Leclerc.
The local crowd erupted into a loud roar as the session entered its final minutes when Perez outdid Verstappen by 0.193s to lead the field.
But the Dutchman then emerged on a fresh set of shiny softs to try and reclaim the lead. To no avail however as Perez concluded the final practice workout at the top the timing screens by 0.193s.
Behind the two Red Bulls and the Mercedes duo, Sainz led an impressive Yuki Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Gasly, Leclerc and Norris who closed out the top ten.
The second half of the field included both drivers from the Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, McLaren, Alpine and Haas outfits.
Can Perez uphold his edge over Verstappen and snatch a sensational pole for his home race? Check back later to find out…
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
After a careful shakedown in Barcelona, Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has confirmed that the…
Aston Martin’s 2026 challenger hasn’t turned a competitive wheel in anger yet, but inside the…
Christian Horner has finally stepped back into the spotlight – and he didn’t tiptoe in…
Mitch Evans arrived at Round 3 of the Formula E season with zero points on…
Mercedes may have just dropped the first thunderclap of the 2026 Formula 1 era –…
Cadillac Valtteri Bottas “It’s great, but it is the problem-solving phase of the team. It’s…