SPANISH GP – Carlos Sainz fastest by three hundredths in third practice
Carlos Sainz was fastest in third practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver set a 13.013 on the soft tyre which put him three hundredths faster than Lando Norris. The McLaren driver managed to split the two Ferraris after going seven thousandths faster than Charles Leclerc.
Sainz managed to beat Norris’ soft-tyre benchmark in the final flurry of qualifying simulations, doing what the Mercedes duo and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc could not. The top four were split by less than a tenth, but the session ended with some drama at the end, when Leclerc made contact with Norris.
Once Sainz went fastest Norris couldn’t find further improvements, although had a contretemps with Leclerc at the end of the session as the Monegasque cut across a slow Norris into Turn 6 and the two made contact. Leclerc was on a fast lap and appeared to be unhappy about being impeded by Norris, so slowed down and moved left, making small contact with the McLaren driver.
The big question going into final practice was whether Red Bull could turn it up at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, which is a good reference point for the season, but Max Verstappen could only go fourth nearly four hundredths behind Leclerc. Mercedes however were eight hundredths off as George Russell was fifth going nearly two-tenths faster than Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton also had a moment with Lance Stroll at Turn Five, with the two cars rubbing bodywork at the apex and the seven-time world champion admitting “I didn’t see him, my bad”.
This suggests that come qualifying later this afternoon that potentially four teams and six drivers could be fighting for pole. Pole carries a significant advantage at this race, thirty of the thirty-three races here have been won from the front row.
Sergio Perez was seventh going nearly four tenths behind Hamilton, the Mexican carrying a three-place grid penalty, but he was three hundredths faster than Alex Albon and Fernando Alonso. Oscar Piastri completed the top ten but couldn’t match the pace of the front runners, but has the potential to join that fight in qualifying.
Both Alpine’s just missed out on the top ten, Esteban Ocon nearly a hundredth and a half ahead of his teammate Pierre Gasly. Valtteri Bottas spilt the Haas’s going half a tenth behind Nico Hulkenberg and ahead of Kevin Magnussen by the same margin.
RB continued their efforts to get to grips with a massive update package going sixteenth and eighteen8th with Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, who were split by Stroll, while the other Kick Sauber and Williams of Guanyu Zhou and Logan Sargeant brought up the rear.