SAKHIR, Bahrain - Spaniard Carlos Sainz went fastest for Ferrari in a close-run final practice session for Formula One's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, setting the stage for a potentially hard-fought qualifying session later on Friday.

The 29-year-old lapped the 5.4-km Sakhir desert track in one minute 30.824 seconds, 0.141 ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso with Red Bull's reigning champion and race favourite Max Verstappen 0.238 seconds off the pace in third.