Abu Dhabi GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

ABU DHABI GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton topped the times in the final free practice session of the 2018 formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi.

    Hamilton jumped to the top of the times in the final third of the session, knocking Sebastian Vettel from the top spot and ending the morning with a 1m37.176s lap time.

    Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen set the pace in the first half of the session with Vettel’s best lap – a 1m37.587s – remaining the benchmark until 20 minutes before the chequered flag.

    Hamilton beat Vettel’s time by more than four tenths of a second, before improvements from Raikkonen knocked his team-mate down to P3.

    Max Verstappen took fourth, half a second behind Hamilton but ahead of the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas, while Daniel Ricciardo picked up sixth.

    Romain Grosjean claimed the best of the rest spot after a frantic final 10 minutes.

    It was the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg top of the order with five minuets left on the clock, but
Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen and Charles Leclerc were all yet to complete their qualifying simulations.

    Grosjean was the only man to beat Hulkenberg’s time, managing to lap half a second quicker than the Renault – and just 0.2s behind Ricciardo.

    Carlos Sainz Jnr took ninth, ahead of Esteban Ocon – who spent most of the session in the garage with a suspected engine problem - and Sergio Perez.

    The final practice session of the season wasn’t without incident.

    Raikkonen was called to the stewards after crossing the pit-lane entry line and returning to the track. He’d ran wide at the penultimate corner of the Yas Marina circuit, putting him off line and on the wrong side of the pit entry line. He chose not to head into the pits, though, and returned to the track, prompting an investigation. He wasn’t penalised.

    Grosjean and Pierre Gasly made contact at the end of the session when Gasly was trying to find a way past the Haas. The light contact sent bodywork flying from the Toro Rosso, but neither was significantly damaged and resolved the issue after the chequered flag.

    Leclerc also suffered bodywork damage. The Sauber has spun early in the session and broke the rear wing after backing into the wall. He was able to get back out, ending the morning 13th quickest behind Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley.

    Magnussen finished 14th, ahead of Gasly, Fernando Alonso, and Marcus Ericsson.

    Lance Stroll, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Sergey Sirotkin completed the order.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:37.176 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:37.464 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:37.587 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Max Verstappen - 1:37.747 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:37.933 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:38.090 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Romain Grosjean - 1:38.304 / Haas-Ferrari / France
8. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:38.850 / Renault-Renault / Germany
9. Carlos Sainz - 1:38.970 / Renault-Renault / Spain
10. Esteban Ocon - 1:39.011 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
11. Sergio Perez - 1:39.053 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
12. Brendon Hartley - 1:39.074 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
13. Charles Leclerc - 1:39.282 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
14. Kevin Magnussen – 1:39.612 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark 
15. Pierre Gasly - 1:39.740 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
16. Fernando Alonso - 1:39.974 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:39.997 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
18. Lance Stroll - 1:40.117 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:40.233 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
20. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:41.182 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

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Brazilian GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

BRAZILIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel topped the times in the final free practice session ahead of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

    The Ferrari driver was the only man to set a time under 1m18s around the Interlagos circuit, lowering the benchmark to 1m07.948s before the end of the morning.

    Newly-crowned champion Lewis Hamilton finished second fastest, 0.217s slower than Vettel, after spending much of the first half of the session confined to the pits.

    A breather pipe in Hamilton’s car had become dislodged and the Mercedes mechanics spent the first half hour repairing Hamilton’s car. When he eventually managed to get on track, puffs of smoke came out of the Brit’s car on a number of occasions, but there didn’t seem to be any serious issue.

    On his first lap of the day, Hamilton  put himself second, ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas, before improving to push Vettel off the top spot.

    Kimi Raikkonen, the first man to set a time earlier in the session, quickly pushed Hamilton back down to second, before Vettel put in his fastest time of the day to go P1.

    With smoke still coming out of the back of his car, Hamilton put in another flying lap. He set the fastest second sector but couldn’t quite hook up the lap and had to settle for second quickest.

    Bottas took third, ahead of Raikkonen, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo.

    A late improvement from Kevin Magnussen put him best of the rest, finishing the morning just 0.358s behind the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo.

    Romain Grosjean took eighth, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc, making it five Ferrari powered cars inside the top 10.

    Nico Hulkenberg was the fastest of the works Renaults in P11, finishing 1.513s off Vettel’s pace.

    Esteban Ocon ended the morning 12th quickest, ahead of Marcus Ericsson, Carlos Sainz, and Sergey Sirotkin.

    Brendon Hartley, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, and Stoffel Vandoorne completed the order.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:07.948 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:08.165 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:08.465 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:08.490 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
5. Max Verstappen - 1:08.733 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:08.788 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Kevin Magnussen – 1:09.146 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark 
8. Romain Grosjean - 1:09.257 / Haas-Ferrari / France
9. Pierre Gasly - 1:09.402 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
10. Charles Leclerc - 1:09.448 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:09.461 / Renault-Renault / Germany
12. Esteban Ocon - 1:09.588 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
13. Marcus Ericsson - 1:09.808 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
14. Carlos Sainz - 1:09.864 / Renault-Renault / Spain
15. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:09.885 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
16. Brendon Hartley - 1:09.985 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
17. Lance Stroll - 1:10.001 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
18. Fernando Alonso - 1:10.020 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
19. Sergio Perez - 1:10.116 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
20. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:10.289 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

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Mexican GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

MEXICAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Max Verstappen topped the third practice session in a row, setting a quickest time of 1:16.284 in his Red Bull. 

    Lewis Hamilton had a better session after a tough Friday. He was able to get himself up into second with a 1:16.538. Bottas finished much further down in 19th after suffering from a hydraulics problem during the session. His quickest time was a 1:18.839.

    Sebastian Vettel was third, ahead of Ricciardo who endured mechanical troubles. Kimi Raikkonen rounded up the top 5 with a 1:17.045.

    The Sauber duo had a good session with soon-to-be Ferrari driver, Leclerc, finishing in 6th with a 1:17.059 and Ericsson, finishing in 9th with a 1:17.565.

    Kevin Magnussen was the only driver to not set a time due to his intercooler needing to be replaced.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:16.284 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:16.538 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:16.566 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:17.028 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:17.045 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
6. Charles Leclerc - 1:17.059 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
7. Carlos Sainz - 1:17.336 / Renault-Renault / Spain
8. Pierre Gasly - 1:17.525 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
9. Marcus Ericsson - 1:17.565 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
10. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:17.623 / Renault-Renault / Germany
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:17.731 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
12. Sergio Perez - 1:17.819 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
13. Romain Grosjean - 1:18.145 / Haas-Ferrari / France
14. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:18.445 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
15. Fernando Alonso - 1:18.548 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
16. Brendon Hartley - 1:18.637 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
17. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:18.669 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
18. Lance Stroll - 1:18.698 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
19. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.839 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Bottas
20. Kevin Magnussen - NO TIME SET / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark 

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US GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

US GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel topped the final practice session of the weekend as the rain finally seemed to give the drivers a break.

    Vettel's quickest time was a 1:33.797. He was followed by team-mate, Raikkonen, who was second with a 1:33.843.

    Hamilton was next in 3rd, with Bottas close behind in 4th, while the top 5 was completed by Max Verstappen with a 1:34.703.

    Charles Leclerc, who is just a few races away from being a Ferrari driver, finished in 7th with a quickest time of 1:35.365. Team-mate, Ericsson, who was unable to secure a drive but will stay on at Sauber as a third driver, finished further down in 15th with a 1:36.000.

    It was a rough session for McLaren with Alonso finishing all the way down in 20th with a 1:36.332, and Vandoorne finishing only 2 spots ahead in 18th with a 1:36.302.

    Sergio Perez helped stick Force India in the top 10 with a 1:35.411, placing him in 8th, while Ocon was unable to do the same with his car, stuck down in 11th.

    Ricciardo, Sainz and Grosjean also finished in the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:33.797 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:33.843 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:33.870 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:34.556 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
5. Max Verstappen - 1:34.703 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:34.910 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Charles Leclerc - 1:35.365 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
8. Sergio Perez - 1:35.411 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
9. Carlos Sainz - 1:35.450 / Renault-Renault / Spain
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:35.468 / Haas-Ferrari / France
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:35.562 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
12. Pierre Gasly - 1:35.713 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
13. Kevin Magnussen - 1:35.770 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
14. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:35.882 / Renault-Renault / Germany
15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:36.000 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
16. Lance Stroll - 1:36.188 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
17. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:36.193 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
18. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:36.302 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
19. Brendon Hartley - 1:36.330 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
20. Fernando Alonso - 1:36.332 / McLaren-Renault / Spain 

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Japanese GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

JAPANESE GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Lewis Hamilton topped the final practice session of the weekend, despite rainy conditions.

    The rain kept most drivers confined to their garages for most of the session, but Hamilton didn't waste any time when it was clear enough for running. His quickest time was a 1:29.599.

    Sebastian Vettel was second fastest with a 1:29.715, while team-mate, Raikkonen, finished in 3rd. Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas completed the top five.

    Nico Hulkenberg crashed near the end of the session, his Renault slamming into the barriers just past the Esses. He was able to emerge from the accident without injury, but his car was in need of multiple repairs ahead of Qualifying.

    After dealing with Fuel Pump issues in FP2, Pierre Gasly had another uneasy session, finishing down in 20th with a 1:33.105. It was not a good start to the weekend for the French Driver. Meanwhile, Hartley, in the other Toro Rosso, managed 13th with a 1:32.030.

    Daniel Ricciardo, the Force India duo of Ocon and Perez, Carlos Sainz in the other Renault and Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, all finished in the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:29.599 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:29.715 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:30.054 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

4. Max Verstappen - 1:30.304 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:30.422 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:30.474 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

7. Esteban Ocon - 1:31.088 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France

8. Sergio Perez - 1:31.483 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

9. Carlos Sainz - 1:31.513 / Renault-Renault / Spain

10. Kevin Magnussen - 1:31.521 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

11. Romain Grosjean - 1:31.636 / Haas-Ferrari / France

12. Charles Leclerc - 1:31.760 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

13. Brendon Hartley - 1:32.030 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

14. Lance Stroll - 1:32.201 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

15. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:32.224 / Renault-Renault / Germany

16. Marcus Ericsson - 1:32.442 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

17. Fernando Alonso - 1:32.608 / McLaren-Renault / Spain

18. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:32.631 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:33.034 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

20. Pierre Gasly - 1:33.105 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

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Russian GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

RUSSIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Lewis Hamilton once again topped the time sheets in the final free practice session ahead of qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix.

    Ferrari set the pace early in the session before Hamilton jumped to the top of the order half way through the hour long session. Team-mate Valtteri Bottas joined him at the top of the order, though Bottas was still 0.254s slower than Hamilton’s best time of than Hamilton’s best time of the morning, a 1m33.067s.

    Vettel dropped back to third, but was preparing to head back out in the closing minutes of the session. Ferrari cut it close, sending the German out with just seconds remaining. But it appeared the team miscalculated how long it would take him to get down the pit lane, with Vettel hitting a red light at the end. He was forced to get out of his car there and push it back to the pits, having just missed the cut off point by a fraction of a second.

    The Ferrari ended the morning 0.6s slower than Hamilton, with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen a further 0.021s back.

    Max Verstappen took fifth quickest, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Leclerc.

    Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, and Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:33.067 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:33.321 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:33.667 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:33.688 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
5. Max Verstappen - 1:33.937 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:34.394 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Charles Leclerc - 1:34.628 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
8. Esteban Ocon - 1:34.809 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
9. Kevin Magnussen - 1:34.820 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
10. Sergio Perez - 1:34.916 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
11. Carlos Sainz - 1:34.988 / Renault-Renault / Mexico
12. Pierre Gasly - 1:35.125 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
13. Romain Grosjean - 1:35.185 / Haas-Ferrari / France
14. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:35.213 / Renault-Renault / Germany
15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:35.370 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
16. Brendon Hartley - 1:36.033 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
17. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:36.071 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
18. Lance Stroll - 1:36.274 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:36.597 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
20. Fernando Alonso - 1:36.992 / McLaren-Renault / Spain

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Singapore GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

SINGAPORE GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel bounced back from a difficult Friday to top the times in the final free practice session ahead of qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.

    The Ferrari driver dominated the session to finish more than half a second faster than championship rival Lewis Hamilton, who had to settle for third behind Kimi Raikkonen.

    Both Ferraris were out on the ultra-soft compound early in the session, with Vettel leading Raikkonen when they returned to the pits after the first runs. As the session wore on and the track rubbered in times began to tumble allowing Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes to come within two seconds of Vettel on the slower soft compound of tyres.

    Any hope of a tight end to the session was eliminated when Vettel returned to the track, lowering the benchmark to 1m38.054s and extending the gap to the rest of the field, including team-mate Raikkonen, who finished 0.4s off Vettel’s pace.

    Hamilton put on the ultrasoft compound in the final 20 minutes of the session but he could only manage third quickest, ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo.

    Max Verstappen spent the session struggling with his Renault power unit. He complained to the team about engine braking, which team boss Christian Horner claimed was a software issue. When asked for more specific feedback, Verstappen told the team “the product in the back of this car isn’t working like I want it”. He eventually finished sixth, a tenth of a second behind Ricciardo.

    Romain Grosjean took seventh ahead of the Force India duo and Fernando Alonso.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:38.054 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:38.416 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:38.558 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:38.603 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:39.186 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
6. Max Verstappen - 1:39.265 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
7. Romain Grosjean - 1:39.747 / Haas-Ferrari / France
8. Esteban Ocon - 1:40.073 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
9. Sergio Perez - 1:40.231 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
10. Fernando Alonso - 1:40.254 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:40.450 / Renault-Renault / Germany
12. Kevin Magnussen - 1:40.559 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
13. Carlos Sainz - 1:40.591 / Renault-Renault / Spain
14. Pierre Gasly - 1:40.686 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
15. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:40.798 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
16. Charles Leclerc - 1:40.915 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
17. Brendon Hartley - 1:41.562 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
18. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:41.884 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
19. Marcus Ericsson - 1:41.953 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
20. Lance Stroll - 1:42.220 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

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Italian GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

ITALIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel topped the final free practice in front of Ferrari’s home crowds at Monza.

    Despite a small mistake early in the session sending him up the escape road, Vettel enjoyed a solid FP3 to finish fastest with a lap time of 1m20.509s.

    Lewis Hamilton was top of the timings mid-way through the hour long session, but quickly dropped down the order after the Ferraris turned up the engine.

    Vettel led Kimi Raikkonen, initially by just 0.082s before Vettel set his fastest time of the session to go more than half a second quicker than his team-mate.

    Mercedes followed Ferrari by turning up the wick late in the session, allowing Hamilton to jump up to second quickest, where he finished, 0.081s slower than Vettel.

    Raikkonen ended the session third, nearly two tenths of a second behind Vettel, with Valtteri Bottas fourth.

    Max Verstappen was the quickest of the Red Bulls in fifth quickest, ahead of Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Ocon, and Daniel Ricciardo, who was focused on race set up rather than qualifying.

    Charles Leclerc and Romain Grosjean completed the top 10.

    After Marcus Ericsson’s violent crash in FP2, Sauber started the session by testing its DRS. Both cars avoided dramas in the final practice, with Ericsson managing to set the 16th quickest time after completing more laps than any other driver in the session.

    This time, Renault was the team to suffer a DRS issue, with Nico Hulkenberg’s rear wing flap becoming stuck open midway through the hour, bringing his FP3 to an early end. He finished 19th quickest, ahead only of the Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley.

    Sergio Perez finished just outside the top 10 in P11, ahead of Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz Jnr, Sergey Sirotkin, and Lance Stroll.

    The McLaren duo of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne took 17th and 18th quickest.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:20.509 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:20.590 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:20.682 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:21.112 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
5. Max Verstappen - 1:21.388 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Kevin Magnussen - 1:22.011 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
7. Esteban Ocon - 1:22.055 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
8. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:22.310 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
9. Charles Leclerc - 1:22.313 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.357 / Haas-Ferrari / France
11. Sergio Perez - 1:22.486 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
12. Pierre Gasly - 1:22.631 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
13. Carlos Sainz - 1:22.737 / Renault-Renault / Spain
14. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:22.778 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
15. Lance Stroll - 1:22.860 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
16. Marcus Ericsson - 1:22.882 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
17. Fernando Alonso - 1:22.892 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
18. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:22.987 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
19. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:23.149 / Renault-Renault / Germany
20. Brendon Hartley - 1:23.164 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

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Belgian GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

BELGIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel led the way in the third and final practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

    Vettel's quickest time was a 1:42.661 while team-mate, Raikkonen, was close behind in 2nd with a 1:42.724

    Both Mercedes drivers followed the order with Hamilton in 3rd and Bottas in 4th. Rounding out the top 5 was Max Verstappen.

    Gasly, who will be Verstappen's team-mate next year, finished in 15th with a 1:46.182. He had a bit of a moment heading out of pit-lane during the session but other than that it was trouble free for the Frenchman. Brendon Hartley in the other Toro Rosso was one place behind in 16th

    There was a bit of a moment between Bottas and Vandoorne when the Belgian driver got pushed over onto the grass by Bottas. He then spun out of control and hit the barriers. Bottas was handed a reprimand for the incident after being found guilty by the stewards

    It was another good session for Sauber with Charles Leclerc finishing up in 7th with a 1:44.963. Ericsson was just a few spaces behind in 11th with a 1:45.536.

    The same couldn't be said for McLaren as the session saw both drivers finish at the bottom of the time-sheets with Alonso in 19th and Vandoorne again in 20th after struggling with multiple mechanical issues in FP1 and FP2.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:42.661 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:42.724 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:42.798 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:43.464 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
5. Max Verstappen - 1:44.048 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:44.479 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Charles Leclerc - 1:44.963 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
8. Sergio Perez - 1:45.341 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
9. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:45.464 / Renault-Renault / Germany
10. Esteban Ocon - 1:45.485 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
11. Marcus Ericsson - 1:45.536 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
12. Romain Grosjean - 1:45.814 / Haas-Ferrari / France
13. Carlos Sainz - 1:45.925 / Renault-Renault / Spain
14. Kevin Magnussen - 1:46.087 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
15. Pierre Gasly - 1:46.182 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
16. Brendon Hartley - 1:46.259 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
17. Lance Stroll - 1:46.502 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
18. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:46.630 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
19. Fernando Alonso - 1:46.942 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
20. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:47.061 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

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Hungarian GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

HUNGARIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel topped the final free practice session in Hungary as both Mercedes drivers suffered spins.

    Vettel set the pace early in the session and was only briefly knocked off the top spot by Valtteri Bottas before another improvement put him P1. The Ferrari finished the final session before qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix with a 1m16.170s lap time, just 0.059s faster than Bottas.

    Lewis Hamilton was the first of the spinners. The championship leader had already ruined one lap when he was sent over the run off area after a big twitch, before spinning at the chicane at the start of another flying lap.

    Just one lap later, Bottas replicated his team-mate’s spin, coming to a stop as he hit the barriers square. He managed to make his own way back to the pits but didn’t head back out for the final 15 minutes of the session.

    Hamilton was able to improve his lap to put himself P4, but was more than half a second off the pace of Vettel and Bottas.

    Kimi Raikkonen split the Mercedes, finishing third quickest and two tenths of a second behind Vettel.

    Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen finished fifth and sixth quickest, ahead of the Renault duo of Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg.

    Romain Grosjean and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10.

    Kevin Magnussen took 11th fastest after a near miss with Ricciardo early in the session. Ricciardo had been on a flying lap when he came across the slower Haas, but Magnussen managed to avoid impeading the Red Bull.

    Traffic was a problem for a number of drivers throughout the session, with Charles Leclerc almost colliding with Verstappen and Hamilton catching traffic on one of his flying laps.

    Brendon Hartley managed to avoid the drama to finish 12th, ahead of Leclerc, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.

    Sergey Sirotkin took 16th in the Williams, with Stoffel Vandoorne, Marcus Ericsson, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll completing the order.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:16.170 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:16.229 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
3.  Kimi Raikkonen - 1:16.373 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
4. Lewis Hamilton - 1:16.749 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:16.803 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
6. Max Verstappen - 1:16.946 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
7. Carlos Sainz - 1:17.754 / Renault-Renault / Spain
8. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:18.083 / Renault-Renault / Germany
9. Romain Grosjean - 1:18.084 / Haas-Ferrari / France
10. Pierre Gasly - 1:18.139 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
11. Kevin Magnussen - 1:18.230 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
12. Brendon Hartley - 1:18.252 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
13. Charles Leclerc - 1:18.376 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
14. Fernando Alonso - 1:18.467 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
15. Esteban Ocon - 1:18.512 / Force India-Mercedes / France
16. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:18.630 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
17. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:18.789 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:18.842 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
19. Sergio Perez - 1:18.962 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
20. Lance Stroll - 1:19.132 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

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German GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

GERMAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP  & TIMES

    Charles Leclerc led a Sauber 1-2 in a wet final free practice session ahead of qualifying for the German Grand Prix.

    Heavy rain limited running for the entire field, with only nine cars setting laptimes during the hour long session.

    The rain began half an hour before the session was due to start and, though many were able to set install laps during the first 15 minutes of FP3, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg was the only man to set a lap time, putting in a 1m36.873s on the wet Hockenheim circuit.

    After the first quarter of the session, the rain intensified, with Carlos Sainz spinning at turn 10, and the circuit was empty for more than half an hour.

    Eight drivers opted to test the waters in the final 10 minutes of the session.

    Leclerc put in a 1m34.577s to go top of the times, 0.423s ahead of team-mate Marcus Ericsson.

    Sergey Sirotkin took third, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Pierre Gasly, and Brendon Hartley.

    Renault decided against sending its drivers back out during the late flurry of action, deeming it unsafe and useless. That meant Hulkenberg’s early time was knocked down to seventh, while Sainz was one of 11 drivers not to set a lap time.

    It may have been a wise decision, with Renault only bringing limited spare parts and conditions still bad enough to send Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Vettel into spins.

    Kimi Raikkonen and Stroll ended the morning eighth and ninth quickest, with Stroll almost four seconds slower than Leclerc.

TIMES: 

1. Charles Leclerc - 1:34.577 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
2. Marcus Ericsson - 1:35.000 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
3. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:35.334 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
4. Sebastian Vettel - 1:35.573 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
5. Pierre Gasly - 1:35.659 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
6. Brendon Hartley - 1:36.151 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
7. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:36.873 / Renault-Renault / Germany
8. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:37.755 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
9. Lance Stroll - 1:38.393 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
10. Max Verstappen – NO TIME SET / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
11. Lewis Hamilton – NO TIME SET / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
12. Valtteri Bottas – NO TIME SET / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
13. Romain Grosjean – NO TIME SET / Haas-Ferrari / France
14. Kevin Magnussen – NO TIME SET / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
15. Esteban Ocon – NO TIME SET / Force India-Mercedes / France
16. Sergio Perez – NO TIME SET / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
17. Carlos Sainz – NO TIME SET / Renault-Renault / Spain
18. Daniel Ricciardo – NO TIME SET / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
19. Fernando Alonso – NO TIME SET / McLaren-Renault / Spain
20. Stoffel Vandoorne – NO TIME SET / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

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British GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

BRITISH GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Lewis Hamilton topped the times in the final free practice session ahead of the British Grand Prix.

    Hamilton and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen swapped fastest laps at the top of the order, but it was the Brit’s 1m26.722s that was top of the charts when the chequered flag fell.

    The hour long session was paused after 15 minutes when Brendon Hartley brought out the red flags.

    The Toro Rosso driver had suffered a front left suspension failure as soon as he hit the brakes at the end of the Wellington straight, sending him into the gravel at high speed. The car dug into the gravel, almost flipping, before coming to a stop in the tyre barrier. Hartley was able to walk away from the incident unharmed, but the damage to his car meant he would be unable to take part in qualifying.

    Pierre Gasly – one of only five drivers to have set a lap time before the incident – sat out the rest of the session as Toro Rosso ensured there wouldn’t be a repeat failure. The FIA requested Gasly’s entire suspension be changed before qualifying.

    The session restarted with 30 minutes on the clock, with everybody but Gasly, Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Romain Grosjean yet to set a time.

    Raikkonen ended the session less than a tenth of a second behind Hamilton, with Valtteri Bottas finishing third.

    Sebastian Vettel only managed a total of eight laps, less than any other driver bar the Toro Rosso duo. The Ferrari driver’s session was cut short due to a neck pain, but he still managed to put in the fourth quickest time.

    Sauber enjoyed a strong session, with Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson running fifth and sixth for most of the second half hour. The pair were bumped down the order as the Red Bulls and Haas drivers found improvements on the hot Silverstone circuit, but they still managed to finish seventh and 10th respectively.

    Max Verstappen took fifth fastest with a time 1.290s slower than Hamilton, with Daniel Ricciardo just 0.006s further back.

    Kevin Magnussen beat team-mate Romain Grosjean, the pair finishing eighth and ninth.

    Neither Force India driver made it into the top 10, with Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez 11th and 12th, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg, and Carlos Sainz.

    Lance Stroll, Sergey Sirotkin, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Gasly completed the order.

TIMES: 

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:26.722 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:26.815 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:27.364 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
4. Sebastian Vettel - 1:27.851 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
5. Max Verstappen - 1:28.012 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:28.018 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Charles Leclerc - 1:28.146 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
8. Kevin Magnussen - 1:28.418 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
9. Romain Grosjean - 1:28.554 / Haas-Ferrari / France
10. Marcus Ericsson - 1:28.814 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:28.917 / Force India-Mercedes / France
12. Sergio Perez - 1:29.066 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
13. Fernando Alonso - 1:29.070 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
14. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:29.094 / Renault-Renault / Germany
15. Carlos Sainz - 1:29.133 / Renault-Renault / Spain
16. Lance Stroll - 1:29.829 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
17. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:29.984 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
18. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:30.004 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
19. Pierre Gasly - 1:30.050 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
20. Brendon Hartley - NO TIME SET / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

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