It was once again Fernando Alonso making the headlines in the Aston Martin ahead of the last practice session before Qualifying.
However, the track was much hotter, probably by around 10-15 degrees, than it will be during Qualifying and therefore running in FP3 must be taken with a pinch of salt.
While most went out and did runs on the softs, Red Bull went for the hard – with Verstappen complaining of balance issues from the RB19.
After coming in and making some changes, the Dutchman went back out and went top with a 1m32.345s, only to be displaced by Alonso who went 0.005s quicker, although a mistake running wide at the final corner would have cost the reigning champion a couple of tenths.
Mercedes had a stronger session, with Hamilton in fourth and Russell in sixth. The team decided to revert to the more loaded rear wing on the latter’s car to improve rear grip, however, that will hurt them in a straight line.
Leclerc once again looked the more comfortable Ferrari driver compared Sainz which follows a similar trend to yesterday, the Spaniard was three tenths slower than his teammate and resulted in an eighth place.
The Scuderia don’t look like pole contenders; however, we are yet to know fuel loads and engine modes.
Lance Stroll was seventh, around half a second off his Aston Martin teammate – impressive considering his broken wrist which is clearly causing discomfort.
Oscar Piastri looked better than yesterday in ninth, ahead of the Alpine duo of Gasly and Ocon who were separated by half a tenth.
Photo: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team