Spain – Free Practice 3: Nico Rosberg keeps the upper hand ahead of Qualifying
As in the second session, Nico Rosberg set the fastest time in Montmelo this morning. The leader of the Drivers' Championship was just over a tenth ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel is just behind him!
A time under pressure from the Ferrari drivers during the first two practice sessions, Nico Rosberg maintained control of the operations this morning in Catalonia. By clocking a time of 1:23.078 on the soft compound during his first stint, the driver bearing number 6 is in a strong position before the start of the qualifying session.
However, the Mercedes team encountered a new reliability issue: Nico Rosberg was forced to return directly to the pit during his second stint. An electronics problem seems to be the source of this difficulty. Nonetheless, this did not prevent the German driver from coming back out a few moments later to complete his training program.
Facing him, his main challenger gradually gained momentum. Initially more than four-tenths behind his teammate, Lewis Hamilton closed in on the benchmark without surpassing it. By clocking a time of 1:23.204, the reigning world champion did not fully reassure himself. The final sector is particularly in question: he will need to find the solution to outpace Nico Rosberg on the starting grid.
Just behind the leading duo, Sebastian Vettel is in third position, just 147 milliseconds behind. After a slow start, the four-time World Champion closed the gap in his final flying laps.
But will the Scuderia driver really be able to compete with the German brand this afternoon?
The Mercedes team clearly has an advantage with the possibility of gaining power in the performance of its engine. But the Italian team has also made numerous modifications to its SF 16-H.
In any case, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen will have a lot of pressure on their shoulders at the conclusion of the qualifying session.
At Red Bull, the newcomer put pressure on his teammate. Max Verstappen is indeed ahead of Daniel Ricciardo. This fine performance adds a bit more spice just minutes before their first direct confrontation. Same performance in the sister team: with a ninth position in the standings, Daniil Kvyat stands ahead of Carlos Sainz for the first time this weekend.
RED BULL BATTLE
VES: 1:23.719 (4th)
RIC: 1:23.816 (5th)#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #FP3 #F1 pic.twitter.com/NICDNKGiJT— Formula 1 (@F1) May 14, 2016
On the good news side, the local hero reassured his fans. Fernando Alonso finishes this third session in tenth position, with a time. The Iberian driver thus continues his momentum from a productive Friday: Q3 is in sight. In an unusual scene, the 2005-2006 World Champion even had time to greet his fans during his out lap.
A 👋 for the fans… How will @alo_oficial fare today? #SpanishGP #FP3 pic.twitter.com/Dpiund8D79
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 14, 2016
A little further down the standings, we see Romain Grosjean in fourteenth place. Half a second off the top 10, the Haas team still seems to be struggling with its settings. But let’s recall that the Frenchman has reverted to a setup used at the very beginning of the season in Sakhir, so a climb up the standings is possible.
Here is the full ranking of this third session:
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION – END OF #FP3
Vettel closes up on Mercedes
Verstappen leapfrogs Ricciardo #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/ej09MWoAHx
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 14, 2016
Join us now from 1:45 PM for the kickoff of the fifth qualifying round of this 2016 season!
