Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: McLaren leads the way
7 tenths. That's the gap between Oscar Piastri, who set the fastest time, and Charles Leclerc in 3rd place. McLaren entered the ninth qualifying session of the season as the team to beat.
The start of this final free practice session was relatively calm. After almost 10 minutes into the session, only Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, and the two Aston Martins had left the pit lane.
McLaren on another planet
Despite the new FIA technical directive regarding the flexibility of the front wings, McLaren still seems to be the team to beat. Based on the data collected at the start of this weekend in Barcelona, the MCL39 is the strongest force on the grid in terms of race pace.
The two papaya-colored single-seaters finished this last practice session with more than 7 tenths of a second ahead of their closest pursuer. It’s an abyssal gap that separates Oscar Piastri from Charles Leclerc, who set the third best time.
The session was not without its challenges. With about ten minutes remaining, Lando Norris had a bit of a scare at turn 9. The British driver experienced a bout of oversteer that could have ended very badly if the Monaco Grand Prix winner hadn’t managed to regain control of his car.
Tsunoda and Verstappen are looking for grip
On this 45-degree track in the early afternoon, the tires naturally tend to overheat. This seemed to pose serious problems for Yuki Tsunoda, who, like yesterday, complained very early in this FP3 about the lack of grip of his car. More specifically, it’s the rear of the Red Bull, very skittish, that bothers the Japanese driver. While his team leader also reported a lack of grip on the radio, the four-time world champion seems to handle it better.
At the sister team, Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson slid two wheels into the gravel at the exit of the twelfth corner. The New Zealander didn’t lose focus and set the 10th fastest time of the session. Isack Hadjar, his garage neighbor, is ahead by 0.2 seconds and 3 positions.
Alpine and Haas at the back of the grid
Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman finished the FP3 session in 18th and last place, respectively. The frustration must be great at Haas. Ayao Komatsu’s team engineers cannot understand their machine. This lack of understanding is even more damaging on a circuit like Barcelona, often considered the benchmark for evaluating a single-seater’s strengths and weaknesses.
The sky is no longer sunny above Alpine. Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto couldn’t do better than the 16th and 17th fastest times. Considering the pace shown by the French driver on Friday, qualifying for Q2 is not impossible, but in a midfield as competitive as this, achieving it will be a real feat.
