2024 Dutch GP FP3: Piere Gasly tops final practice at Zandvoort

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly led the third and final practice session for the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas. The session was heavily disrupted by a big crash involving outgoing Williams driver Logan Sargeant, which significantly shuffled the order.

Following mixed weather conditions on Friday, further rain soaked the tight and twisty Zandvoort Circuit for the start of FP3 at 11:30 local time. However, the gusty winds from the previous sessions had eased slightly. With the track saturated, drivers began on wet tyres as the green light signalled the start of the session, and Haas drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen were the first to venture out.

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As more drivers joined the action, Oscar Piastri opted for intermediate tyres, showcasing a slippery display on the wet track and setting the first time of 1m 24.176s, nearly 15 seconds slower than the dry FP2 benchmark. Shortly after, Hulkenberg encountered another mishap, locking up under braking and crashing into the barriers at Turn 11. “It’s again the same as yesterday,” he said over the radio, referencing his FP2 incident. Despite returning to the pits with a damaged front wing, Hulkenberg was noted by the stewards for driving in an unsafe condition. Magnussen and George Russell both had off-track excursions at Turn 1, and Fernando Alonso went through the gravel, highlighting the challenging conditions.

The session saw more drama when Sargeant ran over the curb and dipped a wheel on the grass, exiting Turn 3. This unsettled his updated Williams and sent it sliding across the track, resulting in a heavy impact with the barriers and bringing out the red flag. Sargeant confirmed he was unharmed, and the marshals swiftly began removing his car and clearing the debris. Meanwhile, the Williams mechanics prepared for substantial repairs ahead of qualifying.

Before Sargeant’s crash, Alonso had moved to the top of the times with a 1m 21.461s on intermediate tyres, leading Piastri, Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll, and Magnussen. However, the drivers had to pause their efforts as the marshals worked on clearing the track.

After a substantial cleanup effort, the session resumed at 12:28 local time, leaving just two minutes for a final dash. This sparked a flurry of activity in the pit lane as teams and drivers hurried back on track to maximize the limited time under slightly improved conditions.

In the final moments, Gasly set the fastest time with a 1m 20.311s, followed by Magnussen with a 1m 20.450s, and Bottas with a 1m 21.155s, all on intermediate tyres. Lando Norris placed his McLaren in fourth, followed by Alonso, Esteban Ocon in the second Alpine, Piastri, Stroll, and Hulkenberg, who had rejoined with a new front wing. Carlos Sainz rounded out the top 10 after resolving his Friday gearbox issue.

Zhou Guanyu finished 11th in his Kick Sauber, with the sidelined Sargeant in 12th. The Mercedes pair, Russell and Lewis Hamilton were 13th and 15th, sandwiching Alex Albon’s Williams in 14th. Charles Leclerc ended up 16th.

Max Verstappen was noted for failing to adhere to the Race Director’s instructions after appearing to cross the white line at the pit exit during the late dash, finishing 17th. The RBs of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda and the Red Bull of Sergio Perez, the latter two not setting times, rounded out the field.

Dutch GP FP3 Results

2024 Dutch Grand Prix FP3, 24 August 2024