Malaysian GP: Free Practice 3 – Lewis Hamilton on the Attack

The first two practice sessions had shown the domination of Red Bull Racing and McLaren, far ahead of all the other teams in the great heat of Malaysia. For this last session, some teams like Lotus Renault or Marussia Virgin need to run to make up for their problems from yesterday.

After fifteen minutes, Vitaly Petrov, the only driver on a flying lap, has to cut his effort after being blocked by Michael Schumacher, before being joined by the two Team Lotus drivers and Jérôme d’Ambrosio. They are quickly joined by many drivers, while Nick Heidfeld takes the lead of the session, soon surrounded by the two McLarens. Mid-session, a large part of the drivers are on track, with different programs. The two McLaren and Lotus Renault drivers occupy the top four positions, with Lewis Hamilton in the lead.

A first yellow flag occurs with Paul di Resta’s spin following a small braking error, without consequence, while the two Ferraris climb to second and fifth place, before Felipe Massa finally takes the first place, while his teammate occupies the third position, ahead of the two Lotus Renaults and Jenson Button’s McLaren.

In the last 20 minutes of the session, the best time is set, with Jaime Alguersuari in second place before Sebastian Vettel takes the top spot from the 2009 world champion. Some drivers start using soft tires, like Michael Schumacher who secures second place without using his movable rear wing, followed by his teammate Nico Rosberg. Towards the end of the session, many drivers are in the pits, while others go out on soft tires to test their speed for qualifying. Fernando Alonso is one of the first to set off, clocking the fastest time before being joined by other drivers on track, such as his teammate who is slightly slower than the Spaniard, clocking the second time at four-tenths behind. Jenson Button on his McLaren sets the overall fastest time of these practice sessions, while Vitaly Petrov positions himself between the two Ferraris, as both Lotus Renault drivers have had very little track time. Heidfeld, on the other hand, slots between Jenson Button’s and Fernando Alonso’s times, showing potential in this Lotus Renault. Lewis Hamilton improves his time, while Mark Webber climbs from the bottom of the standings to take second place. Almost everyone is on track, which hampers some drivers from completing their flying laps, as the checkered flag is waved.

Lewis Hamilton is therefore in first position ahead of Mark Webber and Jenson Button, followed by an astonishing Nick Heidfeld in his Lotus Renault, and seems to be in a position to compete for pole against the Red Bulls during Q3 this Saturday at 10AM! Don’t hesitate to follow the live coverage of these qualifications on Motorsinside.com.

Results of Free Practice 3 of the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix: