AKHIR, Bahrain -- Kimi Raikkonen kept Ferrari at the top of the timesheets during final practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix as both Mercedes drivers struggled in the heat of the afternoon sun.
Raikkonen was 0.525s clear of Max Verstappen in second, holding a massive 0.425s advantage over the Red Bull in the first sector alone, with much more slender margins of 0.050s in sectors two and three. The advantage in sector one, which is made up of two long straights and slow speed corners, suggests Ferrari's turbo-hybrid engine was running in a higher engine mode than its rivals, but Raikkonen's pace was impressive nonetheless.