Hartley takes turn at the front in third Bahrain practice

The final 60-minute Free Practice session of the 2019/2020 FIA World Endurance Championship once again saw the two Toyota LMP1 HYBRIDs top the times. Brendon Hartley in the No. 8 TS050 was fastest in the session with a lap of 1m43.557s around the Bahrain International Circuit, just a tenth clear of the sister No. 7 car in the hands of IndyCar race winner Mike Conway; the Englishman’s run was delayed by a 5-minute stop-and-hold penalty taken at the start of the session for overtaking under yellow flags in FP2.

Third fastest in and quickest of the LMP2 runners was the Goodyear-tired No. 37 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA, with ex-Formula 1 driver Will Stevens' early session fast lap of 1m48.598s keeping Phil Hanson’s No. 22 United Autosports car back in second, the No. 37 two-tenths clear.

Porsche joined Aston Martin and Ferrari in leading a Practice session in GTE Pro with reigning world champion Michael Christensen finishing the session almost a full second clear of fellow Dane Nicki Thiim in the No. 95 Aston Martin Vantage, the Porsche man’s mark a 1m56.790s.

Once again the third-fastest car in GTE was the leading GTE Am runner, Ross Gunn putting the No. 98 Aston Martin Racing car on top of the class times in the session with a 1m57.947s, eight tenths clear of the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari of Nicklas Nielsen.

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