After Daniel Ricciardo set the pace for Red Bull Racing in FP1 and FP2, Formula 1 returned for final practice ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. The session marked the final hour of driving before qualifying, where teams conducted their simulations ahead of the all important session of the weekend.
Sebastian Vettel breaks lap record to top Hungarian Grand Prix FP3
Unlike FP1 and FP2, FP3 was relatively incident free, although Romain Grosjean did have a late session spin for Haas. Reliability was one of the largest issues in the session, and Daniel Ricciardo fell victim to this with 26 minutes to go, with an electrical problem halting his running. This meant that Ricciardo was unable to do his qualifying simulations as he had stopped out on track. The Australian may also fall victim to a grid penalty for the race due to the reliability issues right before qualifying.
The main talk of the session was about Felipe Massa who reportedly took ill after FP2 yesterday. Massa took part in final practice, however, ended the session early due to illness. This has triggered reports that Paul di Resta may be called up to a race seat to stand in for Massa for the remainder of this weekend at Williams.
When the checkered flag waved, Sebastian Vettel emerged as the pace setter for the first time this weekend with a 1:17.017, leading Kimi Raikkonen by 0.475 seconds. Valtteri Bottas was third fastest for Mercedes, 0.897 seconds down on Vettel.
Heading into qualifying, Mercedes look to be on the back foot when compared to Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. As Daniel Ricciardo was unable to do his qualifying simulations in FP3, his pace over the course of one lap remains unknown, although he did set the pace in first and second practice. Lewis Hamilton will be looking for a strong qualifying session as well this weekend, where he aims to overtake Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers’ Championship.
Results from Practice 3 of the Hungarian Grand Prix:
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:17.017
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:17.492
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:17.914
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1:18.194
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:18.434
- Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, 1:18.638
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, 1:18.699
- Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, 1:18.714
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:18.884
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:18.956
- Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1:19.300
- Esteban Ocon, Force India, 1:19.352
- Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:19.455
- Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:19.609
- Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, 1:19.622
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1, 1:19.895
- Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:20.255
- Lance Stroll, Williams, 1:20.379
- Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, 1:20.446
- Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:20.748
Main Photo
