Mexico – Free Practice 3: Max Verstappen dominates a very tight top 5 before qualifying
A timid first part of the session, marked by Valtteri Bottas's domination and the immobilization of Pierre Gasly's Toro Rosso, gave way to a second where emotions ran high. The battle for the best time opened up to Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, with the latter claiming the coveted time with a 1:17.113.
The low morning temperatures – 25°C for the track – do not deter the drivers who take to the track as soon as the green light. Wehrlein, Ericsson, and Magnussen are the first to appear, followed by Alonso, Vandoorne, and Vettel.
After a few minutes, Pierre Gasly’s Toro Rosso comes to a stop in the baseball stadium, which causes a yellow flag in sector 3. The French driver talks about an engine problem on his radio. Assisted by his engineer, he begins a procedure to bring his car back to life.
Problems for GAS early in FP3
📻 “Engine problem, engine problem”#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #FP3 pic.twitter.com/G1eFtkz447
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 octobre 2017
Unfortunately for him, he cannot restart it and has to dismount. This experience is reminiscent of Sergeï Sirotkin in Russia. With the Toro Rosso cleared, the hunt for the clock can resume and Kimi Räikkönen is the first to shoot with a 1:18.925.
Valtteri Bottas ultimately takes the lead in the first half-hour with a 1:17.537, pushing Lewis Hamilton back by 0.417s. Meanwhile, Hülkenberg suffers a major wheel lockup at the braking of turn 1, and the German is imitated by Sainz and Ocon a few minutes later.
Also in search of performance, Verstappen complains about super-soft tyres that are too cold and impossible to warm up. After several minutes of discussion on the radio, he wins the argument to come in and change his tyres.
The mid-session ranking:
INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (HALFWAY THROUGH FP3)#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #FP3 pic.twitter.com/5CRnW3teki
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 octobre 2017
Long immobilized in his garage due to an issue detected during his installation lap, Pascal Wehrlein can return to the track to register a time for this session.
As the final twenty minutes approach, the battle for the track record intensifies. It’s Sebastian Vettel who displaces the Finn with a 1:17.230, but Max Verstappen beats him to the post with a 1:17.223. With 7 thousandths better, the Dutchman is the new holder of the record.
Visibly well-motivated by his ultra-softs, the young Red Bull driver repeats the feat and this time completes his lap in 1:17.113. Lewis Hamilton is pushed beyond his usual top 3 in this session, with the Briton mentioning an engine problem over the radio.
If there was a problem, it was only temporary and the driver marked with the number 44 finally stands in 2nd place, 0.075s from the Dutchman. Following this intense battle, the session ends, leaving a very tight top 5 just before the qualifications.
The complete ranking at the end of the session:
INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF FP3)
The top 5️⃣ are separated by just 0.248 seconds 👀#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #FP3 pic.twitter.com/i73solJjMr
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 octobre 2017
