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Verstappen ends final day of Bahrain testing on top

Max Verstappen concluded F1's pre-season test in Bahrain at the top of the timesheet, the Red Bull driver lowering the benchmark to 1m31.720s to finish 0.695s clear of the field.

The Dutchman, running at the wheel of a revised RB18, overhauled early pace setter Charles Leclerc to lay down a marker ahead of next week's season opener at Sakhir.

Verstappen relied on Pirelli's softest C5 tyre to comfortably edge Leclerc who set his fastest lap on the C4 compound.

Fernando Alonso who topped the mileage chart with 122 laps, delivered to Alpine a satisfactory third fastest time, the Spaniard also fitted with C4 rubber on his best flyer.

Bahrain Pre-Season Test - Day 1

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Tyre	Laps
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1m31.720s	C5	53
2	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1m32.415s	C4	51
3	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1m32.698s	C4	122
4	George Russell	Mercedes	1m32.759s	C5	71
5	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	1m32.985s	C3	68
6	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1m33.002s	C5	57
7	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull	1m33.105s	C4	43
8	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1m33.151s	C3	58
9	Lando Norris	McLaren	1m33.191s	C3	90
10	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1m33.821s	C4	81
11	Guanyu Zhou	Alfa Romeo	1m33.959s	C4	82
12	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1m34.865s	C4	91
13	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1m34.905s	C5	68
14	Alexander Albon	Williams	1m35.171s	C3	18
15	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1m35.634s	C3	124
16	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1m36.029s	C3	53
17	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1m36.217s	C5	78
18	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1m38.616s	C2	38

The afternoon session was about to conclude its first hour when Verstappen finally took to the track, with Red Bull rolling out an RB18 that featured revised sidepods and front wing.

The Dutchman jumped to the top of the timesheet after 90 minutes, with a time that was 0.460s clear of Sergio Perez's morning benchmark and over a second ahead of the rest of the field.

However, with an hour and a half left on the clock, Leclerc sprung to the top, edging Verstappen by 0.230s. But the Red Bull driver eventually reclaimed the top spot with an effort that clearly demonstrated the pace and the efficiency of Red Bull's updated RB18.

Behind the top three, George Russell who had taken over from Lewis Hamilton lined up fourth in the pecking order despite a W13 that still looked very much on the edge.

A late flyer by Valtteri Bottas earned the Alfa Romeo a spot among the top five, the Finn clocking in just ahead of AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda.

Perez's morning best was good enough for P7 overall, while Haas' Mick Schumacher eclipsed the fastest time set by his teammate Kevin Magnussen, the young German claiming ninth ahaed of McLaren's Lando Norris.

Alex Albon and Nichola Latifi were the only other drivers to take to the track in the afternoon, with their best efforts placing then respectively P14 and P15 overall.

Like yesterday, Haas was awarded an extra hour of running to cap its pre-season test in Bahrain.

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Michael Delaney