Spanish GP – Free Practice 3: Vettel on a lap!

From the start of the session, many drivers took to the track and we already saw some mistakes from the drivers, due to the new Pirelli ‘prime’ tires which take longer to get up to temperature than the previous hard tires provided by the new manufacturer.

After fifteen minutes, the only driver on track is Jarno Trulli with his Team Lotus, while Jenson Button also heads out. After twenty minutes, many drivers have taken to the track, and it’s Michael Schumacher who has achieved the best time, before being surpassed by Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber. At this point in the session, Nick Heidfeld’s car catches fire at the right rear near the exhaust exit so characteristic of the Lotus Renault GP. Mark Webber again improves his time, clocking in at 1’23’846 with hard tires.

Fernando Alonso takes to the track mid-session and sets the 4th fastest time, before Jenson Button moves into 3rd position, ahead of Nico Rosberg, and then overtakes his teammate for second place. The first driver from the top teams on soft tires, Michael Schumacher records the best time at 1’23’057, about eight-tenths ahead of Mark Webber, even though the soft tires provide an advantage of about two seconds. It seems that today won’t be the day for Mercedes drivers to aim for the front two rows.

Fifteen minutes from the end, the soft tires are starting to appear everywhere, and the lap times are going down, while Sebastian Vettel still hasn’t set a timed lap. His Red Bull is still open with RSF1 engine engineers around his car.

The Ferrari drivers and Mark Webber set off on their soft tires. Mark Webber sets a fastest time well ahead of the competition with a 1’21’791, 1’3 ahead of the best Mercedes. It’s at this moment that the two McLarens make their appearance, but they are already behind in the first two sectors before being hindered by traffic. As the session ends, Fernando Alonso encounters a problem while Sebastian Vettel completes his first timed lap.

And surprise, in a single timed lap, Sebastian Vettel sets the fastest lap with a 1’21’707, in his first and last lap of this final free practice session.

It is thus a surprising Sebastian Vettel who emerges in the final minutes of the session to set the fastest lap ahead of his teammate and Michael Schumacher. The Red Bull drivers are more than 1.3 seconds behind the Red Bull drivers.

Results of Free Practice 3 – Spanish GP 2011: