Australia – FP3: Hamilton Responds to Rosberg

Summary:

The third and final practice session begins under a magnificent blue sky. As with the first two sessions, Manor Marussia does not seem to be able to take to the track to prepare for the first Grand Prix of the season. Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi wait in front of their hospitality in the Melbourne paddock.

Pastor Maldonado is the first to take to the track at the wheel of his Lotus E23 and is quickly joined by the rest of the field, who complete an installation lap before returning to the pit lane. Daniil Kvyat had a bit of a scare when his car continued accelerating towards the third-to-last corner at Albert Park circuit. A software issue was immediately suggested by the Red Bull team.

After missing the first free practice session, the Saubers waste no time at the start of this session. Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson are pounding the pavement to gather valuable data before qualifying. The Brazilian sets the first benchmark time at 1:32.533.

After the first quarter-hour of testing, it’s the Frenchman Romain Grosjean who holds the top spot with a time of 1:31.060. He is ahead of the rookie Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull. The Australian driver explains that his car is difficult to drive and prefers to return to the pits for his mechanics to find a solution. The Mercedes, Ferrari, and Williams have yet to complete a single timed lap.

With 15 minutes remaining in the session, the Mercedes once again shine on the Australian track, but this time it’s Lewis Hamilton who leads Nico Rosberg. The Briton set the provisional fastest time at 1:29.128, two-tenths ahead of his teammate’s time. Valtteri Bottas is third, followed by Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, Felipe Massa, Felipe Nasr, and Romain Grosjean.

10 minutes before the checkered flag, the drivers start hitting the track with soft tires for a qualifying simulation. The first to set a time is Nico Rosberg with 1:28.821. Lewis Hamilton quickly responds to his teammate with a lap completed in 1:27.867. Sebastian Vettel slots in between the two Mercedes while Valtteri Bottas takes fourth place.

The session ends with the best time from Lewis Hamilton at 1:27.867. The British driver eased off as he was improving his time in the first two sectors of the circuit.

Sebastian Vettel finishes in second place, nearly seven-tenths behind Lewis Hamilton. Nico Rosberg is third ahead of Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Carlos Sainz, and Felipe Nasr.