The final afternoon session of pre-season testing saw George Russell clock the fastest lap for Mercedes, setting a time of 1:29.545s with just six minutes remaining. The Brit completed 91 laps, narrowly edging out Max Verstappen by just 0.021s.

Verstappen, who led the session for most of the afternoon, improved upon his morning time and continued Red Bull’s evaluation of the RB21, notably using flow-vis paint to analyze airflow around the car. The Dutchman completed 81 laps, wrapping up a strong pre-season test for Red Bull.

Behind them, Alex Albon impressed in third place for Williams, setting a 1:29.650s and racking up a massive 137 laps, the most of any driver in the session. His pace reaffirmed the positive signs from Williams, who looked competitive over both single-lap and long-run stints.

Oscar Piastri finished fourth for McLaren with a 1:29.940s, logging 85 laps, while Pierre Gasly followed closely behind in fifth with a 1:30.040s, just one lap shy of Piastri’s total.

Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, endured a difficult session as an unconfirmed issue restricted him to just 47 laps. Despite this, he managed to post the sixth-fastest time with a 1:30.345s, though Ferrari will no doubt be investigating the cause of his limited running.

Yuki Tsunoda was seventh for Racing Bulls, clocking 1:30.497s across 87 laps, while Esteban Ocon delivered Haas’ fastest lap of the entire test, a 1:30.728s, which placed him eighth after 103 laps.

Lance Stroll returned to action in the Aston Martin after missing the morning session due to illness. He finished ninth with a 1:31.690s, over two seconds off the pace, but still managed a solid 91 laps. Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten for Sauber, setting a 1:31.726s after completing 95 laps.

The session was briefly halted due to a bizarre incident involving a bus driving along a service road adjacent to the track. Fortunately, it quickly exited before any potential danger arose.