Sainz Shines in Ultra-Tight Final Practice at Barcelona – Red Hot Competition for Qualifying
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz dazzled in the final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, narrowly edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris and teammate Charles Leclerc in a nail-biting showdown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Practice 3: A Crowd-Puller
The session kicked off at 1230 local time under the early afternoon sun. Drivers and engineers were eager to fine-tune their setups before the highly anticipated qualifying runs, aware of the historical importance of starting front row on this track. Impressively, 30 out of 33 races here were won from the front row, making today’s FP3 crucial.
Variety of Tyres in Play
Early in the session, teams experimented with Pirelli’s C3, C2, and C1 compounds to gauge performance metrics and ideal tyre choices for the weekend. George Russell set the early pace using the soft tyre, clocking a 1m 13.431s – laying down a serious marker for his competitors. However, it was clear that the best was yet to come.
Final Lap Frenzy
As the session progressed and drivers switched to soft tyres for the final qualifying simulations, the competition heated up. Sainz emerged on top with an impressive 1m 13.013s, barely a whisker ahead of Norris who timed 1m 13.043s, while Leclerc was just thousandths behind at 1m 13.050s. Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, followed closely on 1m 13.087s, while Russell held on to fifth, ensuring that the top five were separated by a mere tenth of a second.
Incidents and Mishaps
The intensity wasn’t limited to lap times – on-track incidents spiced up the action. Lewis Hamilton’s collision with Lance Stroll at Turn 5 underlined how tight and error-prone the session was. Post-session, Leclerc's and Norris's minor contact added a touch of drama, with Norris complaining of potential car damage.
Midfield Magic and Struggles
Sergio Perez, grappling with a three-place grid penalty, placed seventh. Yet, notable performances from Alex Albon in Williams and Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin ignited hopes as they slid into the top 10. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri, in the shadow of his rapid teammate Norris, rounded off the top 10. Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly found themselves in P11 and P12, indicating a need for better setup in qualifying.
A Look Ahead
With teams now pouring over the acquired data, anticipation builds for the 1600 local time qualification session. It promises to be thrilling, especially with an evenly matched field lined up, ready to take their shot at the pole. Will Sainz convert his practice pace into pole position? Will Norris or Leclerc manage an upset? The answers will unfold shortly.
Stay tuned and head over to the RACE HUB to keep up with all the updates and live coverage from Barcelona.