Don't miss Sakhir GP Qualifying on Bahrain's super-fast Outer loop with sub-60s lap times from 5pm on Sky Sports F1, with build-up from 4pm; Verstappen in contention for his first pole position of the 2020 season
Saturday 5 December 2020 17:37, UK
Max Verstappen thrust Red Bull into contention ahead of Sakhir GP qualifying by beating Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas to the fastest time in final practice, as Friday pacesetter George Russell slipped to seventh.
Verstappen set the pace from Bottas by 0.206s with a best lap of 54.064s on Bahrain's fast Outer loop, although the Mercedes driver would have been closer without a mistake at the final corner.
Verstappen and Red Bull are yet to claim a pole position this season but Sky F1's Anthony Davidson believes they are right in the hunt heading into qualifying, which begins at 5pm on Sky Sports F1.
"Max can certainly smell blood, can't he? He knows this could be his day for pole," said Davidson.
Martin Brundle added: "Max looks on top of the car. But let's wait and see when it actually matters."
At the start of his second day in Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, Russell slipped from the head of the timesheet to seventh - four tenths behind team-mate Bottas and six tenths away from Verstappen.
Russell had suggested on Friday night that his opening-day positions were "deceptive" but he will be aiming to move back up the order in qualifying as he stands in for Lewis Hamilton.
In 36 races at Williams, Russell has never been outqualified by a team-mate - but Bottas will certainly provide him with the sternest test yet.
Unusually, five different teams filled the first five positions on the timesheet.
With little to choose between the whole grid on such a short lap, Pierre Gasly was an excellent third for AlphaTauri with Esteban Ocon fourth for Renault and Lando Norris fifth for McLaren.
Alex Albon was sixth in the second Red Bull, but his best time on the session came on the slower medium tyres while his rivals posted their best on the faster softs.
Ferrari were again absent from the top 10 on a power-sensitive track that does not favour their car. And Sebastian Vettel's mechanics face a race against time to get his car ready for qualifying due to a precautionary engine change.
Charles Leclerc, their lead runner in 13th place, spun late on in the session. Pacesetter Verstappen was also a spinner, going around at Turn Two during an early run when he showed promising pace on the hard tyres.
At the back of the field, debutants Pietro Fittipaldi (Haas) and Jack Aitken (Williams) continued their build-ups to their first-ever F1 qualifying sessions. Although Fittipaldi will start at the back owing to engine changes, Aitken has been moving closer to Nicholas Latifi's pace in the Williams.
