F1 champ Verstappen leads final practice ahead of qualifying

Published March 19, 2022 8:38 AM

By JEROME PUGMIRE
AP Auto Racing Writer

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Formula One champion Max Verstappen has warmed up for the first qualifying of the season by leading the third and final practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix while Lewis Hamilton again struggled to keep up. Verstappen’s lap of 1 minute, 32.54 seconds put him once again narrowly ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. His archrival from their teen karting days was only .01 behind while Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez was .248 behind in third. Hamilton wasn’t even the quickest of the Mercedes drivers with teammate George Russell .39 seconds behind Verstappen in fourth. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. was fifth and Hamilton trailed Verstappen by .58.

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