Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: Carlos Sainz was fastest

Last free practice session of the weekend, these FP3 were going to be able to answer the question: Are Mercedes strong enough to rout Red Bull? At the end of Friday’s session, Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of FP2. He was closely followed by Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari and Lando Norris’s McLaren. However, the teams did not seem particularly eager to answer these questions as they were cautious in bringing out the cars at the start of the session.

After 20 minutes of the session, this very tight hierarchy at the top was confirmed by the mosaic of single-seaters from different teams holding positions in the Top 6. During the first stints with the soft tires, George Russell followed in his teammate’s footsteps yesterday and took the best time of the session with a 1:13.431. He left the two Ferraris one-tenth behind his time.

Yesterday was a surprising day for the Alpine team. Despite not bringing any improvements since Miami, the black and pink single-seaters showed an astonishing pace during FP2. The two French drivers infiltrated the Top 10, with Pierre Gasly notably setting the fourth best time. Despite this surprising performance, Esteban Ocon’s spin with fluorescent paint on his rear wing indicated that Bruno Famin’s team had not fully understood their car yet.

If the session turned out to be excessively calm with no off-track excursions and no yellow flag raised by the marshals, Lance Stroll came to wake up the spectators. So, in the middle of a timed lap, the Canadian’s effort was disrupted by a Lewis Hamilton who did not see the Aston Martin coming. To show his discontent, Stroll pushed Hamilton off the trajectory of turn number 5. This resulted in a slight contact between the two drivers, which the race direction immediately took note of.

A similar situation occurred a few minutes later. This time it was between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, the two rivals for the runner-up title this season and approaching turn number 6. On a fast lap, the Monegasque complained of being hindered by the Briton. Once again, the two protagonists of an incident decided to puff out their chests and make contact.

The Ferraris showed their teeth at the end of FP3. Carlos Sainz took the top spot on the timesheet with a 1:13.013. The Spaniard finished all the free practice sessions in the Top 3 and is very keen on becoming the second Spanish driver to win on home soil after Fernando Alonso. The Ferraris owe much of their pace to relentless straight-line speed.

It was a relatively discreet session for Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver was never in contention to take the best time. Despite this apparent shyness, Red Bull have shown on many occasions that they knew how to rise up at the crucial moment: qualifying. So, even if the Ferraris, McLarens, and Mercedes seem to set the tone, it would be illusory to rule out the reigning world champion from the race for pole position.