During the wet third and final practice session at the British Grand Prix, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton secured a Mercedes one-two, leading the pack ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who had been the fastest on Friday.
The session began with heavy rainfall, leaving the track soaked and necessitating the use of Pirelli’s green-marked intermediate tyres. This contrasted sharply with the previous day’s overcast but dry conditions. Haas driver Kevin Magnussen’s initial lap time of 1m 54.798s was nearly half a minute slower than Norris’s Friday benchmark, highlighting the challenging conditions.
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Max Verstappen had a dramatic spin at the exit of Brooklands, eliciting gasps from the spectators, while Pierre Gasly lost control under braking for Club, beached his car in the gravel, and triggered a red flag.
During the pause, Daniel Ricciardo was seen unusually weaving down the fast lane, an incident noted and set for investigation by the stewards after the session.
Once the session resumed, Russell noted improving track conditions despite light rain, though Valtteri Bottas reported having “no grip at all” after a low-speed spin. Hamilton clocked a 1m 38.065s at the halfway mark, leading Charles Leclerc, Norris, and Verstappen as a drier line began to form on the track.
In the latter half, lap times continued to improve, with Russell setting a 1m 37.529s before another shower replenished the track’s puddles. Hamilton finished just a few hundredths behind Russell, with Norris completing the top three, followed by Carlos Sainz, Verstappen, Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri.
Fernando Alonso managed to climb to eighth place in the closing stages, ahead of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, who kept his upgraded Haas in the top ten. The Williams duo of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant positioned themselves around Lance Stroll in P11 to P13, with Yuki Tsunoda, Bottas, and Esteban Ocon following.
Magnussen ended up in 17th, ahead of Ricciardo, who faces a post-session visit to the stewards. Zhou Guanyu and the sidelined Gasly, who will incur an engine penalty this weekend, rounded out the timesheets.
British GP FP3 Results
2024 British Grand Prix FP3, 6 July 2024
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:37.529 | 23 | |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:37.564 | +0.035s | 28 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:37.714 | +0.185s | 20 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:38.139 | +0.610s | 23 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:38.393 | +0.864s | 20 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:38.454 | +0.925s | 26 |
| 7 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:38.654 | +1.125s | 27 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:38.940 | +1.411s | 21 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:39.284 | +1.755s | 18 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 1:39.340 | +1.811s | 16 |
| 11 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:39.603 | +2.074s | 24 |
| 12 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:39.700 | +2.171s | 23 |
| 13 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 1:39.702 | +2.173s | 22 |
| 14 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 1:39.820 | +2.291s | 26 |
| 15 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:40.242 | +2.713s | 22 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 1:40.430 | +2.901s | 25 |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:40.539 | +3.010s | 21 |
| 18 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 1:40.823 | +3.294s | 28 |
| 19 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:41.785 | +4.256s | 23 |
| 20 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 2 |
Source: Formula 1
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