Germany – Free Practice 3: Alonso in good shape before qualifying

The sun is out at the start of this third free practice session of the German Grand Prix with 18 degrees in the air and 24 on the track. It’s an opportunity for the drivers to test the dry-weather tires because although the qualifying session is expected to take place in the rain, there is uncertainty about the weather for the race.

Nico Rosberg is the first to approach Jenson Button’s best time from yesterday morning with a time of 1:17.892 compared to the Englishman’s 1:16.595 yesterday.

Start of a studious session at Marussia where work is being done on Charles Pic’s car in the engine area. The French driver will only head out in the last quarter of an hour.

The program of the teams diverges quite significantly. While the top teams are preparing for the race, the smaller teams seem to be focusing on qualifying. Proof of this is Glock’s seventh fastest time and Pedro de la Rosa’s 11th after 20 minutes.

At mid-session, it’s Vettel who leads the proceedings ahead of Maldonado while Kimi Räikkönen positions himself in third on medium tires. His teammate, on the other hand, complains about understeer on his Lotus E20.

Alonso holds the best time with only 10 minutes left as the sky darkens further above Hockenheim. It doesn’t take long for the first umbrellas to open in the stands of the stadium. The rain gradually appears on the entire circuit, causing a few off-track excursions in the stadium or at the hairpin. Räikkönen decides not to persist. The Finn has nonetheless completed 27 laps this morning. He is quickly followed by the other drivers who progressively return to the pits.

So it is Fernando Alonso who positions himself before the qualifications with 1.16.014 ahead of Hamilton and Sergio Pérez. This promises an exciting afternoon with rain expected to play a part and potentially change the dynamics.

Results of Free Practice 3 of the German Grand Prix: