The third free practice session prior to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying started with cold temperatures and with some raindrops on the track. Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) recovered after a troubled Friday and led the timesheets in the last practice session of the weekend.
Sebastian Vettel In Front As Lewis Hamilton Closes The Gap
Quick look at the weather before the start
It’s overcast at @BakuCityCircuit ☁#AzerbaijanGP ?? pic.twitter.com/VNO7dbKbtf
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 de abril de 2018
?@Charles_Leclerc: “Is it raining?”
Time to check the radar#AzerbaijanGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/FGtqt0JydC
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 de abril de 2018
Ferrari showed speed throughout the entire session, with Vettel on top of the timecharts consistently. Kimi Raikkonen marked the third fastest time, behind Vettel and Hamilton.
Mercedes continued their struggles in the middle sector, but Hamilton managed to split the Ferraris. Valtteri Bottas recorded the fifth fastest time.
Max Verstappen positioned his Red Bull Racing car fourth, whilst his teammate Daniel Ricciardo was out of the top ten in 12th place.
Sergio Pérez showed speed and climbed up to fifth place in his Force India. The Mexican driver was eight tenths behind the leader. Esteban Ocon stayed in ninth place.
Williams: Two sides of the coin
With less than 10 minutes left, Williams was showing their best form of the year. Lance Stroll was eighth and his Russian teammate, Sergey Sirotkin, had the tenth best lap time.
But the Russian crashed into the wall, forcing a red flag and compromising his chances in qualifying.
#F1 #AzerbaijanGP ??#Sirotkin hit the wall..?#Williams pic.twitter.com/EcKL4X5hHJ
— Alessandro™? ? (@BerrageizF1) 28 de abril de 2018
The event resumed with three minutes on the clock, but there weren’t too many changes in the pecking order.
Every team used the ultrasoft tire, except for Renault. The French team’s drivers lined up in 16th (Carlos Sainz) and 17th place (Nico Hulkenberg).
FP3 Results:
| POS | DRIVER | TIME | GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:43.091 | 17 | ||
| 2 | 1:43.452 | +0.361s | 16 | |
| 3 | 1:43.493 | +0.402s | 17 | |
| 4 | 1:43.519 | +0.428s | 17 | |
| 5 | 1:43.569 | +0.478s | 20 | |
| 6 | 1:43.936 | +0.845s | 9 | |
| 7 | 1:43.958 | +0.867s | 11 | |
| 8 | 1:44.123 | +1.032s | 8 | |
| 9 | 1:44.220 | +1.129s | 11 | |
| 10 | 1:44.534 | +1.443s | 9 | |
| 11 | 1:44.763 | +1.672s | 12 | |
| 12 | 1:44.861 | +1.770s | 17 | |
| 13 | 1:44.905 | +1.814s | 16 | |
| 14 | 1:45.218 | +2.127s | 15 | |
| 15 | 1:45.261 | +2.170s | 12 | |
| 16 | 1:45.432 | +2.341s | 15 | |
| 17 | 1:45.456 | +2.365s | 11 | |
| 18 | 1:45.505 | +2.414s | 13 | |
| 19 | 1:45.910 | +2.819s | 17 | |
| 20 | 1:46.186 | +3.095s | 11 |
MAIN PHOTO:
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