Tuscany Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: Bottas on top, a top 3 in a handkerchief
The last free practice session in Tuscany was dominated by Bottas with a time of 1:16.530, ahead of Verstappen at 1:16.547 and Hamilton at 1:16.613. The three drivers are far ahead of the rest of the field.
This free practice session was the result of a great battle between the two Mercedes drivers and Verstappen. It was Bottas who took the victory with a lap of 1:16.530 ahead of the Dutch driver and Lewis Hamilton.
Kevin Magnussen was the first driver on the track under optimal conditions to carry out a reconnaissance lap, joined on the track by the McLarens and AlphaTauris. Alone on the track, Bottas set the first timed lap at 1:17.437.
After 15 minutes of sessions, the drivers start to leave the pits. On the timing board, the Finnish driver is joined by his compatriot Räikkönen in 1:18.469 and Giovinazzi in 1:19.324.
At mid-session, all drivers have completed a fast lap except Russell, who has a brake pedal issue. Bottas is leading with a time of 1:17, just ahead of Verstappen and his teammate. Both Mercedes drivers set their times on soft tires, as did Räikkönen in 7th. Stroll is at +0.3s. Leclerc, in 4th, is already nearly a second ahead of Albon, Ocon, Perez, and Gasly. Each of these drivers set their times on medium tires.
The drivers continued to work on qualifying with several types of tires. Verstappen set the fastest time at 1:17.116 on medium tires, ahead of the two Mercedes drivers who continued to run on soft tires. Bottas regained the lead 15 minutes before the end of the session with a time of 1:16.530, 5 tenths faster than the Dutch driver! Despite a very good lap, Hamilton fell short at +0.08s behind his teammate.
In the last 10 minutes, all the drivers switch to soft tires to prepare for the qualifications. Verstappen interjected between the two Mercedes at +0.01s from Bottas’s best time. Stroll is 4th ahead of Gasly and Perez. Leclerc is the best-placed Ferrari driver in 7th position, while Vettel is only 17th. It’s a similar ordeal for Norris and Ricciardo, who are far behind their teammates. Albon, in 8th, is +1s from his Red Bull teammate. Great performance by Grosjean, who obtained an unexpected 10th place after his troubles on Friday.
N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
1 | Bottas | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:16.530 | 17 | |
2 | Verstappen | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | 1:16.547 | +0.017 | 10 |
3 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:16.613 | +0.083 | 14 |
4 | Stroll | BWT Racing Point F1 Team | 1:17.112 | +0.582 | 10 |
5 | Gasly | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:17.226 | +0.696 | 14 |
6 | Perez | BWT Racing Point F1 Team | 1:17.341 | +0.811 | 14 |
7 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:17.488 | +0.958 | 15 |
8 | Albon | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | 1:17.538 | +1.008 | 11 |
9 | Kvyat | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:17.627 | +1.097 | 17 |
10 | Grosjean | Haas F1 Team | 1:17.635 | +1.105 | 19 |
11 | Ocon | Renault DP World F1 Team | 1:17.746 | +1.216 | 13 |
12 | Sainz Jr. | McLaren F1 Team | 1:17.768 | +1.238 | 19 |
13 | Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:17.812 | +1.282 | 15 |
14 | Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:17.843 | +1.313 | 17 |
15 | Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 1:18.039 | +1.509 | 17 |
16 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 1:18.072 | +1.542 | 16 |
17 | Ricciardo | Renault DP World F1 Team | 1:18.142 | +1.612 | 12 |
18 | Vettel | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:18.186 | +1.656 | 15 |
19 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:18.826 | +2.296 | 19 |
20 | Russell | Williams Racing | 1 |
