Brazil – Free Practice 3: Rain makes an appearance, Rosberg ahead of Hamilton and two Ferraris on form!

After a hot and sunny Friday (up to 52 degrees on the track), the situation completely changed for this start of the third practice session, scheduled for late morning in Brazil (11 am in São Paulo, 2 pm in France). Various showers had soaked the track throughout the night and morning. The start of FP3 was therefore held on a wet track, with only 20 degrees in the air, ten degrees less than yesterday.

For the drivers, it was nevertheless about taking to the track to test themselves in changing weather conditions. Especially since the weather will remain uncertain for the start of the Qualifications.

It was therefore equipped with rain tires that the two Ferrari drivers completed the first reconnaissance laps, just like Felipe Massa, the local (and hero) of the event.

At McLaren, the various technical problems encountered in FP2 led the team to make changes to the engine. Alonso’s mechanics were forced to fit a new power unit, already used in Austin. A similar situation for Jenson Button, who will now be running with the engine used in Mexico.

As a result, the two Woking drivers did not receive any penalties for the continuation of the hostilities. In any case, these changes somewhat delayed the Spanish driver’s start in this session…

JB’s been out for his first run of the morning, whilst Fernando is set to go out in about 20 minutes. #FP3 pic.twitter.com/CKWIaCMMgt

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 12, 2016

Courageous, Lewis Hamilton was one of the first to put on the soft tires to test the limits of the track. However, the Briton did not achieve a convincing time during this first run with the yellow compound, frequently going wide on the exit of the fourth corner “Descida do Lago.” His times at that point were well below yesterday’s performances, between 8 and 9 seconds precisely!

Not quite there then… #FP3 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/a9kMftxCoM

— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 12 novembre 2016

The range of tire variety was then very interesting, notably with the Red Bull drivers choosing to run on mediums. On a “cool” track, could this resemble a gamble during the Qualifications?

On soft tires on his part, Kimi Räikkönen didn’t care about these considerations and dethroned Felipe Massa at the top of the timesheets.

At mid-session, “Iceman” was ahead of his teammate Sebastian Vettel. Cautious, the Mercedes were only in 18th and 19th positions, Rosberg ahead of Hamilton.

HALF-TIME IN #FP3

1 RAI
2 VET 📸
3 VES
4 RIC
5 HUL
6 MAS
7 PER
8 BOT
9 MAG
10 GRO#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/vOtRtusDHm

— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016

But the rankings were still very changeable in the second part of the session.

First, it was Daniel Ricciardo who took command with a time of 1:12.287, despite some issues at the front of the car spotted by the Australian. Then, it was his teammate’s turn to briefly take the lead. But the Mercedes finally showed their noses, and Nico Rosberg was the first man to go under the 1:11 barrier, with a precise time of 1:11.787. Moments later, Lewis Hamilton fell short by 0.093s.

Amazingly, the two Ferraris remained in the running with Sebastian Vettel at 1:11.957 and Kimi Räikkönen at 1:12.027. Both placed third and fourth ahead of the two Red Bulls. After the issues in Mexico, it’s clear that the SF 16-H clearly prefers a track with a relatively low temperature!

So, will Scuderia Ferrari ultimately be the luxury arbiter in the duel between the Mercedes teams? The information remains to be confirmed.

The ranking breaks down as follows, with Nico Rosberg in front of Lewis Hamilton for the first time this weekend. Let’s note the very good performance by Jolyon Palmer, who finished eighth in his Renault. Fifteenth, Romain Grosjean spun at the fourth corner at the very end of the session after trying to overtake a Force India.

That's a Haas facing backwards at Turn 4!

GRO: “I lost the car with no real reason…” 🤔 “We need to understand that” #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #FP3 pic.twitter.com/NvKajVinvO

— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016

Last, Marcus Ericsson himself was unable to set a timed lap!

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION@nico_rosberg edges @LewisHamilton in #FP3

Next up, #Quali… #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/8gLFvUFB2Y

— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016

We now invite you to join us around 6:00 PM for the summary of the qualifying session, not to be missed! If the weather stays as it is, the session promises to be completely wild… Will it be Nico Rosberg or Lewis Hamilton who makes the best move?