Alonso closes the tests in better spirits: "We can have a good opportunity"

• Second day Sainz drives Ferrari before Haas surprise

• Aerodynamic revolution The Mercedes 'without pontoons' unleashes panic

• First day The Alpine leaves more doubts to Alonso

• The dangers of the 'ground effect' Why do cars bounce so much this year?

The last test day in Bahrain finally left a trace of some optimism for

, without any mechanical setbacks in his car and author of a great time in the final section that placed him only behind

and

.

The Asturian's marathon, with 122 laps, leaves a good feeling in Alpine, while the speed of the reigning champion is a severe warning from Red Bull, whose aerodynamic improvements left their rivals unanswered.

After getting off the A522, Alonso was "quite happy" with how everything had gone in this winter closure.

"We are still learning a lot about the car and the settings. We have tried several things with some clear results. It has been very productive," admitted the man from Oviedo, in the official statement from Alpine.

website

.

"With the new rules, in the short or medium term, Alpine should be able to fight for the title. I have no idea if the future will be 2022 or 2025, but here is a commitment that I share. We can have a good opportunity." he.

In this long-range race, where car development will play an essential role, Red Bull aims to retain Verstappen's title.

This Saturday, with his brand new pontoons for the first time, the Dutchman did not give Ferrari and Mercedes, his most qualified opponents, an option.

In the last half hour, with the C5 tire, the softest in the range,

set the best time of the week (1:31.720), unattainable for

, when he wanted to reply behind the wheel of his Mercedes.

This power makes the RB18 one of the favorites for

next Saturday at Sakhir.

And it is that the dominance of

's team had already been made clear in the morning, with

perched at the top of the ranking.

"Ferrari seems the fastest"

Ferrari, for its part, maintained the remarkable performance exhibited during the preseason.

In the morning session,

rode 68 laps, struggling on the finish straight against the uncomfortable

.

After the lunch break, Leclerc beat the copper with the soft tire, seven tenths behind Red Bull.

In any case, nothing can be said against

's team , with the potential to get on the podium in the first round of the 2022 World Cup.

Something more delicate seems to be the situation in Mercedes, far from the best records and with a wide margin for improvement when it comes to making its radical aerodynamic designs work.

was asked

if he saw his W13 with the capacity to compete for the maximum, the seven-time champion was forceful: "I'm sure everyone can realize that at the moment we do not aspire to

or victories" .

"Ferrari seems to be the fastest and maybe Red Bull. Then maybe us or McLaren, I don't know. But I certainly don't see us at the top," added Sir Lewis, aware of the "potential" of the car to achieve the objectives. .

"We just have to learn how to extract it and fix some of the problems, which is what we're working on," Hamilton concluded.

Last test day in Bahrain

Classification and times

1.

M. Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:31.720 |

C5 |

53 laps

C. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:32.415 |

C4 |

51 laps

F. Alonso (Alpine) 1:32.698 |

C4 |

122 laps

G. Russell (Mercedes) 1:32.759 |

C5 |

71 laps

V. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1:32.985 |

C3 |

68 laps

Y. Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 1:33.002 |

C5 |

57 laps

S. Pérez (Red Bull) 1:33.105 |

C4 |

43 laps

M. Schumacher (Haas) 1:33.151 |

C3 |

58 laps

L. Norris (McLaren) 1:33.191 |

C3 |

90 laps

S. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1:33.821 |

C4 |

81 laps

G. Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1:33.959 |

C4 |

82 laps

P. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1:34.865 |

C4 |

91 laps

C. Sainz (Ferrari) 1:34.905 |

C5 |

68 laps

A. Albon (Williams) 1:35.171 |

C3 |

18 laps

N. Latifi (Williams) 1:35.634 |

C3 |

124 laps

L. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1:36.029 |

C3 |

53 laps

L. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:36.217 |

C5 |

78 laps

K. Magnussen (Haas) 1:38.616 |

C2 |

38 laps

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Know more

• Fernando Alonso

Formula 1This is Fernando Alonso's new Alpine: "We have made a good development"

Formula 1 Red Bull and Ferrari seduce at the premiere

Formula 1Alpine, in search of solutions for Alonso: "It has been a frustrating day"

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