Sainz set the quickest time on the second of the three days of testing, before the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sakhir circuit on 2 March.
However, he set his lap using the C4 Pirelli tyre, which is not available next weekend.
His Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc was second quickest overall, setting his best time on the final day, as did George Russell for Mercedes and Zhou Guanyu for Sauber. They all used the C4 for their fastest times.
Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez (who was quickest overall in this test last year) and Max Verstappen lapped within a tenth of each other in fifth and sixth using the C3 tyre, which will be the soft next weekend.
Yuki Tsunoda was seventh for RB, the rebranded AlphaTauri team, ahead of Alex Albon (Williams), Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
Aston Martin, Haas and Alpine ended the three days of running without a car in the top 10 places.
Full Bahrain testing results: Sainz fastest for Ferrari
| Pos | Driver (Car/Engine) | 21 Feb | 22 Feb | 23 Feb |
| 1 | Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari SF-24 / Ferrari 066/12 |
1’32.584 69 |
1’29.921 84 |
1’31.247 71 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF-24 / Ferrari 066/12 |
1’33.247 64 |
1’31.750 54 |
1’30.322 74 |
| 3 | George Russell Mercedes F1 W15 E Performance / M15 |
1’34.109 122 |
1’30.368 67 |
|
| 4 | Zhou Guanyu Sauber C44 / Ferrari 066/12 |
1’33.871 63 |
1’33.715 38 |
1’30.647 85 |
| 5 | Sergio Pérez Red Bull RB20 / Honda RBPT H002 |
1’30.679 129 |
1’31.483 53 |
|
| 6 | Max Verstappen Red Bull RB20 / Honda RBPT H002 |
1’31.344 143 |
1’30.755 66 |
|
| 7 | Yuki Tsunoda RB VCARB 01 / Honda RBPT H002 |
1’34.136 64 |
1’38.074 40 |
1’30.775 53 |
| 8 | Alexander Albon Williams FW46 / Mercedes F1 M15 |
1’34.587 40 |
1’30.984 121 |
|
| 9 | Oscar Piastri McLaren MCL38 / Mercedes F1 M15 |
1’33.658 57 |
1’32.328 35 |
1’31.030 91 |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton Mercedes F1 W15 E Performance / M15 |
1’31.066 123 |
1’31.999 49 |
|
| 11 | Fernando Alonso Aston Martin AMR24 / Mercedes F1 M15 |
1’33.385 77 |
1’33.053 31 |
1’31.159 75 |
| 12 | Lando Norris McLaren MCL38 / Mercedes F1 M15 |
1’32.484 73 |
1’31.256 52 |
1’32.108 20 |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo RB VCARB 01 / Honda RBPT H002 |
1’32.599 52 |
1’31.361 88 |
1’37.015 70 |
| 14 | Nico Hülkenberg Haas VF-24 / Ferrari 066/10 |
1’35.906 82 |
1’37.509 31 |
1’31.686 89 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR24 / Mercedes F1 M15 |
1’33.007 54 |
1’32.029 96 |
1’32.038 46 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon Alpine A524 / Renault E-Tech RE24 |
1’34.677 60 |
1’32.061 78 |
1’33.079 55 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly Alpine A524 / Renault E-Tech RE24 |
1’32.805 61 |
1’33.804 33 |
1’32.149 47 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas Sauber C44 /… |
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