India – Free Practice 3: Vettel Continues His Solo Run

The single-seaters jostle at the exit of the pit straight as the green light turns on. The heat is present for these final tests: 28°C in the air and 33°C on the track, and the weather is clear. Only the Red Bull cars and Nico Rosberg feel the need to complete two installation laps, while the other drivers are content with a single loop.

After 10 minutes of the session, the Lotus cars are the first to head out for a proper stint. Kimi Räikkönen, on Hard tires, logically takes the lead in the standings with a lap completed in 1:30.183, which he improves to 1:28.173 and then to 1:27.686. Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg nearly leaves his Mercedes in the gravel trap at turn 3 after a missed braking but manages to maintain some speed and takes advantage of the shallow trap to continue. The few braking zones on the Buddh circuit, before turn 3 and the last turn, provide numerous images of drivers locking their wheels, including Räikkönen, Grosjean, and Hamilton.

After more than 20 minutes, it’s Mark Webber who takes the best time, but on the next lap, it’s his teammate Sebastian Vettel who sets the best time at 1:26.822. The cat-and-mouse game continues as the Australian reclaims his lead with a 1:26.657 in the following lap. But it is ultimately the young double World Champion who settles everything with a 1:25.892. Elsewhere on the track, a Sauber tries to give way to Lewis Hamilton, who is on a flying lap, at turn 10, the fast double right. However, the Swiss car slows down too much and stays on the racing line, on the inside, and the speed difference between the two cars surprises the 2008 World Champion, forcing him to back off.

We almost have to wait until mid-session to see a Ferrari poke its nose out of the pits for the real start of their tests. While waiting for the first times from the Italian single-seaters, Lewis Hamilton slots between the two Red Bulls with a 1:26.151 (Hard). In any case, the two Ferraris are wheel-to-wheel on the back straight, with Felipe Massa benefiting from the slipstream of Fernando Alonso to set a 1:27.897, before the roles reverse in the next lap, which the Spaniard completes with a 1:28.607 in 18th place. The Scuderia seems to be rehearsing a maneuver for the qualifications, already seen during the Italian Grand Prix, as the exercise continues for a few laps.

With 20 minutes remaining in the session, Hülkenberg, Schumacher, and Senna are the first to switch to the Soft tires, and it’s the young German who uses them best as he climbs to 4th position with a time of 1:26.531, setting the fastest time in the first sector. Meanwhile, as Mark Webber makes a mistake at the pit entrance, with his DRS closing too late, Bruno Senna moves up to 3rd place with a time of 1:26.214, also on the Soft tires.

Lewis Hamilton is the first among the top teams with yellow-marked tires. The Englishman sacrifices his first two attempts, during which a considerable amount of carbon dust can be seen escaping from the wheels of the MP4-27 at each braking. The third attempt is successful, securing 2nd position with a time of 1:26.151, but Sebastian Vettel’s time on Hards still stands.

Moreover, in the very last minutes, the Red Bull driver slightly improves by 5 hundredths, 1:25.842, but this time with Soft tires, while the other McLaren driven by Jenson Button comes within 2 tenths. Mark Webber places 3rd just behind the Englishman. Sebastian Vettel still doesn’t manage to improve but was apparently hindered while he was almost 4 tenths faster after the first two sectors. The German even continues his effort after the checkered flag, where he finds more speed by setting the best time in the first sector. In any case, he finishes at the top of this session ahead of Jenson Button and Mark Webber. Fernando Alonso finishes 7th.

Free Practice 3 Results of the 2012 Indian Grand Prix: