Dan Istitene – Formula 1Getty Images
After two very active free practice sessions on Friday, the third and final free practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix was a very quiet one as the teams fine-tuned their cars for qualifying.
quiet start
The start of the third and final free practice sessions for the Dutch Grand Prix was quiet, with only five drivers taking to the track in the first ten minutes and with only Sergio Perez marking lap, with a time of 1’13”603.
After ten minutes, more drivers chose to go out on the track, as was the case with Max Verstappen. On his first attempt, the local rider managed to lower the stopwatch to the 1’12”309.
The Ferraris also rolled on soft tires and Charles Leclerc was the one who marked the second fastest time, with a 1’12”720this weather being worse than the previous day.
Meanwhile, the Mercedes continued to show a very good pace on this circuit, being Lewis Hamilton third and George Russell fifth, just behind Verstappen and the two Red Bulls.
Last tests for classification
The session stabilized around half an hour and there were only five drivers on track. It wasn’t until there were 20 minutes left that more drivers, like Carlos Sainz, chose to go out to do their last test before qualifying. #55 set the fastest time of the weekend with a time of 1’11”971.
However, his time was surpassed by Charles Leclerc, reaching the 1’11”632. In addition, George Russell was closely followed, just 66 thousandths.
Fernando Alonso he had not set a lap on the soft tires in the entire session, due to testing the medium tyres, and managed to place fifth with a time of 1’12”327.
Finally, Charles Leclerc was the driver who completed the fastest lap before qualifying, with a time of 1’11”632. Russell managed to nail the lap and be just 66 thousandths away, while Verstappen was third to two tenths.
Carlos Sainz finished the Free Practice 3 fourth, with a time 339 thousandths behind his teammate. Fernando Alonso finished seventh, with his time of 1’12”327.
