Perez flies as F1 testing wraps up at Bahrain International Circuit

TDT | Manama                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Sergio Perez shone brightest under lights last night as Formula 1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2023 wrapped up at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”, in Sakhir.

Perez put defending constructors’ world champions Red Bull Racing atop the timesheet on the third and final day of the tests, which have raised the level of excitement for the new F1 season starting next weekend in the Kingdom.

His best lap time of one minute 30.305 seconds was set in the latter half of yesterday’s afternoon session.

It was also the quickest for the entire test this week in Bahrain. Perez racked up a total of 133 laps yesterday, completing a full programme in Red Bull’s RB19 contender, having tested in both the morning and afternoon.

With yesterday’s classification, Red Bull topped two of the three days of testing at BIC this week.

Teammate and two-time defending world champion Max Verstappen set the pace on day one and then Alfa Romeo ace Zhou Guanyu was quickest on day two.

The final day of testing was watched by a large group of fans from a section along BIC’s Main Grandstand.

The drivers and teams also conducted pit-stop practices and practice starts on the grid, with some even engaging in brief wheel-to-wheel action towards the end of the night.

The stage is now set for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, which flags off over this coming weekend with the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

It will be the first of 23 rounds this season and it is the 19th edition of the Kingdom’s 57-lap race, while also being the 10th time it is held at night under BIC’s state-of-the-art floodlights.

Perez was followed on day three’s overall timesheet by Mercedes’s superstar driver Lewis Hamilton, who was 0.359 seconds slower in his F1 W14 challenger.

Hamilton had taken over for teammate George Russell after yesterday’s midday break, completing 65 laps of work. Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo was third overall, 0.522s from Perez in his C43 car.

Like Perez, Bottas had the full day’s testing duties for his team and registered 131 laps. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed in fourth with a best time 0.719s off the pace.

Leclerc set his fastest mark in the morning, which was the best of that session, while completing 67 laps.

Carlos Sainz ended the day behind the wheel of Ferrari’s SF-23 and was classified fifth, 0.731s from the top with 76 laps done, while Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri came sixth 0.956s from the leader while completing 79 laps in his AT04.

Kevin Magnussen (+1.076s) wa s s eve n t h f o r Ha a s i n their VF-23 car, and Russell (+1.137s) eighth while testing for Mercedes in the morning.

Rounding out the top 10 were the Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso (+1.145s) and Felipe Drugovich (+1.770s), with the former double world champion closing out the day in their AMR23 challenger.

Completing the day’s final classification from 11th to 17th, respectively, were Lando Norris of McLaren, Pierre Gasly of Alpine, Alexander Albon of Williams, Esteban Ocon for Alpine, Nico Hulkenberg for Haas, Oscar Piastri for McLaren, and Nyck de Vries for AlphaTauri.