Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: In the rain, Verstappen remains master
Verstappen set the fastest time of this testing session with a lap in 1:56.924 in rainy conditions ahead of Perez and Hamilton. A hint of the upcoming qualifying session?
Umbrellas are out in Spa for this last free practice session but that didn’t stop Verstappen from setting the fastest time in 1:56.924 ahead of his teammate Perez and Hamilton.
Rain! We were expecting it for this weekend and it made its appearance during this practice session. The drivers went out on intermediate and full wet tires to get a feel for the track. A few small errors for Mazepin and Russell without consequences, with a first timed lap for the Briton in 2:05.546 on intermediates.
Kimi Räikkönen complained on the radio about overheating brakes, his car was taken apart to find the problem, the Finn did not continue in this session.
The small track excursions are linked with Bottas going straight at the exit of Les Combes and Leclerc in Bruxelles. However, Hamilton set the fastest time in 1:57.996 ahead of Norris and Perez, the only two drivers to be within a second of the world champion. Verstappen was finally able to get a clean lap and clocked a 1:56.924 on intermediate tires, one second faster than Hamilton as the track improves!
The Ferraris are placed around the 13th position and are struggling to find performance in the rain. Schumacher is in 15th place ahead of Leclerc while the Williams are in 9th and 12th positions at the halfway point of the session. Ricciardo is in immense difficulty, driving 2s slower than his teammate. The Australian does not seem confident at all in the car.
A dry racing line is forming on the track as the rain intensifies with 20 minutes left in the session. Verstappen did a few reconnaissance laps to determine which type of tires to use, just like Sainz who is suggesting full wet tires.
With over 10 minutes left in the session, Verstappen has already stepped out, changed, and will not go back out. Gasly goes off the track, triggering a yellow flag at the end of the session with no consequences for the driver. Very few drivers have returned to the track with the weather changing, yet Norris went out with 3 minutes to go on soft tires! The driver chose to bed in his tires, but there is a high risk of crashing the car just before qualifying.
