Monaco GP – Free Practice 3: Alonso will have to be reckoned with

Final practice session before this afternoon’s qualifying, and therefore the last opportunity for teams to find the right settings to secure a good spot on the starting grid.

There is a lot of activity on track at the start of the session; 20 of the 24 drivers have left their garages to complete an installation lap. Michael Schumacher is the first to be accredited with a time of 1:22.441. The German driver improves significantly on the next lap with a time of 1:20.175.

The red flag is out after only nine minutes. Nico Rosberg lost his Mercedes GP at the exit of the tunnel. The session is logically over for the driver who is racing at home this weekend. The German driver’s qualifying could be compromised, much like Fernando Alonso last year.

The session resumes after about ten minutes of interruption and Michael Schumacher consolidates his first place with a time of 1:18.566. Alonso improves with a time of 1:18.150. There are many drivers on the track with just over 30 minutes remaining in the session. Everyone is improving. Midway through the session, Alonso laps in 1:15.924 ahead of Button and Buemi. The Ferrari driver seems wound up like a clock in the Principality. Behind him, Vettel moves into third place, 0.5 seconds behind.

Vettel takes the fastest lap with the soft tires in 1:15.423, followed by Lewis Hamilton, who places second on the timesheet of this third practice session. The battle between Alonso, the McLarens, and the Red Bulls promises to be intense in qualifying. Alonso clocks in at 1:14.433, followed by Button and Vettel.

New red flag with 5 minutes remaining. Liuzzi went off at the Sainte Dévote braking point. The rear of the HRT gave way and hit the barrier.

The green flag is waved as there are less than two minutes left in this third free practice session, and everyone is heading out on track. Alonso will not be beaten and maintains his leadership. Button and Massa complete the podium for this session.