Great Britain – Free Practice 3: Hamilton Best Time, Toro Rosso and a Worrying Crash
Lewis Hamilton sets the best time at Silverstone ahead of a competitive Kimi Räikkönen. The session was marked by Brendon Hartley's crash following the failure of his left front suspension. Consequently, Pierre Gasly is also uncertain for qualifying, as the Toro Rosso engineers are concerned about the solidity of their car.
After alternating dominance between Mercedes and Ferrari during Free Practice 1 and 2, Free Practice was tasked with revealing the favorite, two hours before qualifying.
This has been crucial in the championship battle, which, let’s remember, sees Sebastian Vettel leading Lewis Hamilton by just one point. A four-time winner at his national Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton arrives here as the favorite, but he isn’t safe from a Ferrari, or even a Red Bull surprise, as seen in Austria.
Under a beautiful sun and in front of full stands, this final practice session begins. The conditions are ideal for this popular event, which doesn’t seem to suffer from the England match in the World Cup quarter-final, scheduled for 4 PM.
First on track, Stoffel Vandoorne is seen moving slowly on the Silverstone circuit.
The big names are showing up ten minutes after the start of this session. Kimi Räikkönen is immediately the fastest. The superstar of the event, Lewis Hamilton, has not yet been seen on the tarmac.
After fifteen minutes of the session, New Zealander Brendon Hartley crashes following the failure of his left suspension under braking. His Toro Rosso came very close to flipping over and skidded into the gravel before ending in the tire barriers at the edge of the circuit. No harm for the Kiwi but that isn’t the case for his car.
🚩RED FLAG🚩
A big impact for @BrendonHartley at Turn 6 #BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/pLZJ8cfZfO
— Formula 1 (@F1) 7 juillet 2018
The session is interrupted for a few minutes to clear the damaged Toro Rosso and restore the track for driving. Kimi Räikkönen set the fastest time at the start of this session with 1:27.687, ahead of his teammate Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. It should be noted that only five drivers have completed a lap at this stage.
Concern at Toro Rosso regarding Pierre Gasly’s car suspension. Very bumpy since resurfacing this winter, the British track had already been criticized by Lewis Hamilton for this reason. Is it a flaw in the robustness of Toro Rosso’s suspension components or just a minor fault? The engineers of the Honda-powered team seem concerned.
Charles Leclerc is the first to return to the track for a final half-hour of testing followed by the Ferrari drivers.
Stopped at his pit, Pierre Gasly sees the worried Toro Rosso engineers examine his car, and it seems that he will not return to the track until the checks are completed.
Lewis Hamilton takes to the track in turn, followed by the other drivers, and sets the fastest time at 1:27.442, the best time of the weekend, the previous best having been set at 1:27.487 on Friday.
Fright for Esteban Ocon who goes wide at turn 1 after attempting to pass with DRS open. No consequences for the Frenchman who gets back on track.
On the tire side, the majority of teams, including the favorites, are equipped with soft tires with yellow sidewalls, while some drivers have opted for medium tires with white sidewalls. The yellow range is the softest tire made available this weekend by Pirelli.
Fifteen minutes before the end of this session, Räikkönen regains the provisional lead of the session in 1:27.199.
Timid end of the session from the drivers, especially the Red Bull team, classified seventh and eighth, almost two seconds behind the leader and, to everyone’s surprise, preceded by the two Saubers!
In front, Kimi Räikkönen improves his time again, with 1:26.815. The Ferrari, equipped with a new floor, seems very comfortable attacking on the Silverstone circuit.
Driven by popular momentum, Lewis Hamilton ultimately puts his car in the lead ahead of the Ferrari driver, with a time of 1:26.722!
Sixth, Charles Leclerc creates another nice surprise by positioning himself between the two Red Bulls.
End of session at Silverstone, where Hamilton sets the fastest time of this last practice session ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Valtteri Bottas. Fourth, Sebastien Vettel, completed only one stint. He will show his real potential during the Qualifying.
At Toro Rosso, Pierre Gasly did not drive following his teammate’s accident. He also remains uncertain for the qualifications until the engineers have identified any potential fragility.
FP3 CLASSIFICATION (60/60 MINS): Hamilton fastest, but Räikkönen is hot on his tail #BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/nzAHmcWMXa
— Formula 1 (@F1) 7 juillet 2018
