Once again Max Verstappen was the fastest car on track at the marvelous Belgian circuit.
All drivers spent minimal time driving due to the greasy wet conditions. The teams entirely opted for the intermediate tyres with the track never drying enough for the possibility of slicks.
Limited track time and the slippery tarmac was a disappointment for most teams as a large percentage of drivers will be boasting engine upgrades at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Due to the limited amount of tyres available for use, all teams were simply testing race pace and car set ups rather than pushing, to preserve their rubber.
The track temperature only reached 18 degrees with the air temperature chopping and changing between 14 and 15 degrees.
Max was by far the fastest on track boasting an almost 1 second gap to the second fastest driver Sergio Perez. The two Red Bulls only completed a total of 17 laps but looked quick and stable in the varying conditions.
Weather conditions are expected to stay the same as practice with the rain forecasted to continue throughout the day.
The session was reasonably uneventful compared to the previous two practices, with only a couple of minor spins and close calls.
Kimi Raikkonen was found in the spotlight again unfortunately for reasons he wouldn’t appreciate. His Alfa Romeo spent majority of the practice session in the pits as his team tried to fix a brake failure. The Finnish veteran only completed 3 laps.
The tricky and unpredictable conditions should make for an exciting qualifying session which could pop out some unexpected high qualifiers.
Here is how the FP3 classification finished:
POS | NO | DRIVER | CAR | TIME | GAP | LAPS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 33 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 1:56.924 | 10 | |
2 | 11 | Sergio Perez | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 1:57.871 | +0.947s | 7 |
3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | 1:57.996 | +1.072s | 9 |
4 | 4 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:58.509 | +1.585s | 11 |
5 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:58.913 | +1.989s | 15 |
6 | 18 | Lance Stroll | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | 1:59.205 | +2.281s | 16 |
7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 1:59.324 | +2.400s | 14 |
8 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | 1:59.436 | +2.512s | 15 |
9 | 63 | George Russell | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:59.492 | +2.568s | 9 |
10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:59.613 | +2.689s | 16 |
11 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | MERCEDES | 1:59.808 | +2.884s | 14 |
12 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:59.981 | +3.057s | 11 |
13 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 2:00.456 | +3.532s | 13 |
14 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | FERRARI | 2:00.749 | +3.825s | 17 |
15 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | HAAS FERRARI | 2:01.269 | +4.345s | 18 |
16 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | 2:01.370 | +4.446s | 14 |
17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 2:01.510 | +4.586s | 20 |
18 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 2:01.512 | +4.588s | 20 |
19 | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | HAAS FERRARI | 2:01.792 | +4.868s | 19 |
20 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 2:04.382 | +7.458s | 3 |
featured image source: twitter.com/redbullracing