Home hero, Oscar Piastri, took P1 during FP3, which saw Mercedes’ George Russell take P2 behind the McLaren driver, with Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen apparently turning his weekend around, rounding off the top 3.

Max Verstappen has addressed McLaren’s shock approach to his management team, quipping that the call “didn’t last long” after Zak Brown found out how much he would have to pay to sign the reigning F1 world champion.

Verstappen’s teammate last year, Sergio Pérez, has been replaced by Liam Lawson this season, with the New Zealand driver set to make his full-time F1 debut in 2025. In the drizzly conditions in Bahrain, Lawson said he was fighting “a few teething gremlins” with his car as he sought to adjust to life alongside Verstappen.