Home hero Carlos Sainz topped the timesheet of the Free Practice 3 session of the F1 2024 Spanish GP weekend. He was closely followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. However, both Norris and Leclerc found themselves embroiled in road rage on track, with Leclerc seemingly intentionally driving into the Brit.
The Red Bull of Max Verstappen sat in P4 after a less than dominating start to the weekend. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez finished in P7, both drivers sandwiching the two Mercedes of Russell in P5 and Hamilton in P6.
The track temperature hovered at around 43 Degrees Celsius, and the wind caused chaos in quite a few laps in the hour long session.
As it Happened
There was no stampede of cars out on track as the pit exit opened for the beginning of the Free Practice 3 session of the F1 2024 Spanish GP weekend. Temperatures were high and tyre degradation is always high at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, so teams were keen to prioritise their tyre strategies and allocations for the weekend.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was the sole driver on track for the first three minutes, setting an initial lap time of 1:14.178 on a new set of soft compound tyres. World Champion Max Verstappen joined him on track on new mediums, followed by Haas’ Kevin Magnussen on the hard compound tyres.
By ten minutes in, just over half of the grid were out on track, including both Ferraris and both Red Bulls. Both Ferrari cars were upping the ante, setting lap times closer to a flying lap with a 1:13.536 for Sainz and Leclerc just behind with a 1:13.572. Russell soon bettered them by a tenth in the second Mercedes as the 20-minute mark approached.
McLaren were out on track following a fire in their motorhome, both drivers getting their head down to finish the weekend’s data gathering. Lando Norris put in a pacey 1.13.535, landing him in P2 on a set of mediums. His teammate Oscar Piastri, also on a set of mediums, sat in P8.
A Lull on Track
At the halfway point of the session, everyone on track remained on their original tyre compounds, meaning Qualifying simulation runs were yet to take place. There was a lull on track as drivers continued gathering data ahead of what could be a tricky race tomorrow. Alpine sported flow-vis paint on the rear wings of their cars, eager for a successful weekend. Rear wings were a hot topic in the practice sessions this weekend. Many teams were spotted testing out new models of rear wing, but some drivers reverted back for FP3, sacrificing a small amount of straight line speed for cornering ability.
With just over 20 minutes to go, Norris was the first driver to start his Qualifying runs on a new set of soft compound tyres. He was swiftly followed by Piastri, who immediately backed out of the lap after a snap around Turn 1. Norris was also forced to back out of his lap. After a quick trip to the pits, he was back out for another Quali simulation lap. This time, he had more success and posted a 1:13.043.
Trouble for Hamilton
With 15 minutes left to go in the session, more of the field had begun their flying laps – including Hamilton. After a promising first two sectors, he appeared to be caught out by a gust of wind in the final sector, just like Piastri a few minutes earlier.
The two Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll also strapped on some softs. Stroll was impeded by Hamilton, who failed to see the Aston Martin approaching. The incident was noted by the stewards. Russell slotted into P2 ahead of his teammate with a 1:13.164.
Many of the field left it to the last eight minutes to complete their runs. Carlos Sainz rocketed to P1, three hundredths quicker than Norris with a 1:13.013. Verstappen failed to better the Spaniard and Norris, finishing his lap 0.074s down in P3. The Dutchman was then demoted to P4 by Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver went purple in the first two sectors before losing time in sector three. He posted a 1:13.050 for P3.
Williams’ Alexander Albon was impressing with a P8-worthy time. The pace will be good news for the British team, who seemed to expect to struggle this weekend. Albon’s teammate Logan Sergeant was down in P20.
The majority of the field re-entered the pits with three minutes to go. Some completed a practice start before heading for their outlap and consequent final flying lap.
Road Rage for Leclerc?
Road rage ensued for Leclerc, believing he was impeded by Norris. The Monegasque driver intentionally forced his car towards the Brit, colliding with him and leaving everyone perplexed. Norris reported damage to the car and the incident will be investigated after the race.
As the cars completed their practice starts and the chequered flag was waved, Sainz topped the tables with a 1:13.013. Norris sat in P2, 0.030s behind, followed by Leclerc, 0.007 behind Norris. Verstappen, not 100% comfortable this weekend, sat in P4 followed by the Mercedes cars of Russell and Hamilton.
Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari
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