Leclerc tops delayed FP3 ahead of F1 British GP Qualifying - Motorsport

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Charles Leclerc secured the top spot for Ferrari in final practice ahead of qualifying for the British GP ahead of Qualifying, full report and results here. A late red flag led to chaos in the closing minutes of the session with both Bortoleto and Bearman damaging their cars.

Opening forays into FP3 at the F1 British GP

Following a short 5 minute delay as marshalls cleared excessive tyre marbles off the track, Gasly was first out. Leading teammate Colapinto, Alpine opened the timesheets on softs, Gasly with a 1:28.552 and Colapinto 1:28.518.

Following a slow start to the session, Hamilton delighted the British fans, waving from his Ferrari on his out-lap. An opening time of 1:27.351 put him P1 battling some understeer, albeit only ahead of the struggling Alpines.

With 15 minutes gone from the relatively quiet session, McLaren made an appearance as home hero Norris hit the track. A flurry of activity saw the majority of teams leave the garage simultaneously.

Following yesterday’s strong showing, Norris hit the ground running with a 1:27.006, half a second behind Hamilton. Leclerc then nabbed the top spot with an impressive 1:26.494, showing the pace of the improved Ferrari.

Battles for P1 in FP3 at the British GP

Max Verstappen then bested Hamilton, just 0.005s off Leclerc despite a difficult day yesterday. With everyone now on the board, Leclerc led Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell and Norris. The top three separated by just 0.035s after the opening volleys.

Sporting flow viz paint on his front wing, Oscar Piastri took a second bite of the bit, securing P6 with a 1:26.494. Next to improve was Leclerc, stretching his lead by a further half second, the first into the 1:25’s.

Midway through the session, Williams demonstrated their medium tyre pace. Albon slotted into P7 with Sainz P10, both within a second of Leclerc’s soft tyre time.

Struggling in the session were Sauber. Having both enjoyed a positive weekend in Austria, neither had managed to crack the top ten with under 20 minutes remaining. Joining them towards the bottom were the still struggling Alpine squad.

Disappointed by a lack of pace following their car updates was Aston Martin. Alonso leading Stroll, the pair failed to crack the top ten.

Getting embroiled in an argument on track was Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and RB’s Liam Lawson. Stumbling over each other as they battled for track position, Lawson was shown the black and white flag for erratic driving.

Late changes at the top and red flag in FP3 for the British GP

As we entered the final third of the session Norris improved to P1 with a 1:25.606. Teammate Piastri was next over the line, with a margin 0.040s ahead of his McLaren teammate. Having started the session slowly, the Championship leaders began to show their hand.

Verstappen then made a statement with a fastest first sector en route to P2, 0.019s behind Piastri. Teammate Tsunoda had less success in the Red Bull, managing only P5, half a second off the pace.

Leclerc then resecured P1 for Ferrari with a 1:25.498, 0.068s clear of Piastri. Teammate Hamilton then set a fastest first sector as he began his next push lap. A late red flag due to a piece of debris on track from Ollie Bearman’s Haas, scuppered the 7 time champion’s attempt as he was forced to abandon his lap.

With 4 minutes remaining the track was green once again as all twenty drivers lined up in the pit lane. Hamilton was last out of the garage following his earlier disappointment.

With the session drawing to a close, rookie Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a crash at chapel corner, bringing out a second red flag. A snap of oversteer at Becketts bounced his sauber over the kerb, damaging his suspension and bring the session to an early close.

Entering the pit lane at the end of the session, Ollie Bearman in the Haas had a lock up, finding the barriers due to cold brakes.