Europe – Free Practice 3: Button Ahead of the Two Lotus Cars

As the lights turn green, the temperature is already higher than yesterday as it’s about 28 degrees in the air. The first quarter-hour is reserved for routine checks before the serious business begins and the first lap times.

It’s Romain Grosjean who sets a time first after 15 minutes with a lap in 1:40.136, 8 tenths off Vettel’s best lap yesterday afternoon but set on soft tires while the Frenchman is equipped with mediums. A few minutes later, his teammate will be the first to break the 1:40 mark today.

The session begins with the return of McLaren drivers who were struggling yesterday. Hamilton tops the time sheet with a lap of 1:39.793 for the Englishman. It’s at this moment that things pick up with Maldonado taking the lead, quickly followed by Vettel, who gains a three-tenth advantage over his competitors. Grosjean regains the lead with a 1:38.655 on soft tires.

After a brief lull, the on-track activity resumes with even more intensity for the last 15 minutes. Bruno Senna grabs the third fastest time behind Grosjean and Vettel. At Red Bull, the team is busy with Mark Webber’s car and there don’t seem to be any smiles. The Australian is only 18th at this point in the session.

On the track, Räikkönen positions himself behind his teammate while Jenson Button seems to be making a comeback and takes first place with 5 minutes remaining. The Briton will not be dislodged from his position, ahead of the two Lotus drivers Grosjean and Räikkönen. The Force India drivers also perform well, having been strong since Friday. Hülkenberg is 4th and Di Resta 5th. Like yesterday, the gaps are very narrow with 14 drivers within one second. In other words, it is still difficult to establish a hierarchy before the qualifying sessions, which will be covered live in text on Motors Inside from 1:45 PM.

Free Practice 3 Standings of the European Grand Prix