2021 Bahrain F1 pre-season testing Day 3 LIVE - As it happened

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CRASH.NET’S LIVE COVERAGE OF THE FINAL DAY OF FORMULA 1 PRE-SEASON TESTING IN BAHRAIN

The final day of Formula 1 pre-season testing is already here as day three of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit gets underway.

Valtteri Bottas topped day two of the test for Mercedes having set his best lap on Pirelli's C5 tyre - the softest tyre available to the teams in Pirelli's range.

The Finn was on top but it still wasn't convincing by Mercedes.

For 2021, teams only have three days of testing ahead of the new season which kicks off at the Bahrain International Circuit on March 26-28.

All teams except Mercedes have completed a shakedown of their new 2021 challengers ahead of the test, and with just three days of running available to everyone, getting significant mileage completed is more important than ever before.

Testing usually takes place in Barcelona but F1's decision for it to take place in Bahrain this year should give teams the perfect weather conditions to put their new cars to the test.

With the 2021 cars being a continuation of last year's machinery, F1 agreed three days of testing is sufficient as a way to save costs and give teams a longer winter break after the 2020 campaign finished in December.

Like in previous years, testing will be split into two sessions per day, with most teams opting to split the workload between its two drivers.

Who’s driving on Day 3 of the test?

Mercedes
Sunday: Valtteri Bottas (AM), Lewis Hamilton (PM)

Red Bull
Sunday: Sergio Perez (AM), Max Verstappen (PM)

McLaren
Sunday: Lando Norris (AM), Daniel Ricciardo (PM)

Aston Martin
Sunday: Lance Stroll (AM), Sebastian Vettel (PM)

Alpine
Sunday: Esteban Ocon (AM), Fernando Alonso (PM)

Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (AM), Carlos Sainz (PM)

AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly (AM), Yuki Tsunoda (PM)

Alfa Romeo
Kimi Raikkonen

Haas
Mick Schumacher (AM), Nikita Mazepin (PM)

Williams
George Russell

What tyres can teams use?

Here’s what’s on the menu for #F1 tyre testing from tomorrow in Bahrain: a feast of five different 2021 compounds and a prototype! Buon appetito.#Pirelli #F1Testing #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/lDFjXOuFt4

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) March 11, 2021