Formula One pacesetters McLaren dominated final Bahrain Grand Prix practice on Saturday with Oscar Piastri showing impressive speed in leading Lando Norris one-two while Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen was only eighth.<\/p>\n

Australian Piastri lapped the Sakhir circuit in a best time of one minute 31.646 seconds with championship leader Norris 0.668 slower.<\/p>\n

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ended up third, but a hefty 0.834 off Piastri’s pace, after losing his left wing mirror earlier in the session.<\/p>\n

“I can’t believe how fast those McLarens are at the moment,” said Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who at one point was top, over the radio.<\/p>\n

Mercedes’ George Russell was fourth, 1.181 slower than Piastri, with rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli fifth and Gasly sixth in a session that was run in temperatures of 30 degrees celsius.<\/p>\n

Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race, which ends after dark and under floodlights, will be considerably cooler.<\/p>\n

Norris leads Verstappen, last year’s winner at Sakhir from pole position who also won in Japan last weekend, by a single point in the standings going into the fourth round of the season.<\/p>\n

Russell exclaimed at one point that “I’d probably go as far as saying that’s the least amount of grip I’ve ever had in an F1 car”.<\/p>\n

French rookie Isack Hadjar was seventh fastest for Racing Bulls, Williams’ Carlos Sainz was ninth and Ferrari’s seven- times world champion Lewis Hamilton 10th.<\/p>\n

Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber stopped on track with 28 minutes remaining, the German reporting the car had gone into anti-stall and switched off.<\/p>\n