United States – Free Practice 3: Vettel Tames His Red Bull

The weather is mild in Austin for this final practice session. It is 20 degrees in the air and on the track.

As yesterday morning, it’s Heikki Kovalainen who is the first to take to the track. The Finn had a good first day yesterday and now has a new seat, which should make him more comfortable at the wheel of the Lotus E21.

Jules Bianchi and Daniel Ricciardo are the first to mark their names on the time sheets. The Australian clocks in at 1:42.450 for a lap while the Frenchman records a 1:43.690. After 10 minutes, the Toro Rosso driver is still leading ahead of Bianchi, Hamilton, and Di Resta.

Romain Grosjean takes a slight detour in turn number 12 but without consequences for the Frenchman. After 20 minutes, he is at the top of the time sheet before being quickly displaced by Sebastian Vettel with a time of 1:37.684.

As yesterday, Lewis Hamilton is informed of the gap between him and his teammate. Hamilton is then 7th, three places behind Nico Rosberg.

Alonso and Massa decide to take to the track shortly before the beginning of the last half of the session. The first lap of the Spaniard only puts him in 19th position. Massa doesn’t do better on his first attempt while his teammate moves up to 15th place.

Many drivers return to the pits to check tire wear before heading back on track with new rubber. At the front, Jenson Button climbs to 3rd position with his McLaren while Nico Hülkenberg positions himself behind Vettel, 0.3 seconds behind the number 1 RB9.

After 30 minutes the Top 5 consists of Vettel, Hülkenberg, Grosjean, and Button. On the side of the second Red Bull, Mark Webber’s car is undergoing some modifications before the Australian can get back on the track. The same goes for Lewis Hamilton.

Jenson Button is not yet completely satisfied with the behavior of his McLaren, which is suffering from oversteer coming out of turn 1. There are 20 minutes left in this session, and the top 12 are within 1 second of each other.

**15 minutes remaining** and the two Red Bulls are at the top of the hierarchy. Bottas, Hülkenberg, and Grosjean are in the top 5. The hierarchy is expected to change as drivers are back in the pits to fit medium tires. Jules Bianchi is the first to break the silence with his tires on his car. He is followed by Bottas while at Red Bull and Mercedes there is no movement. Button cannot dislodge Vettel from his first place. The Briton positions himself in 2nd place.

Less than 5 minutes before the end of this session and it’s Nico Hülkenberg who is leading with a time of 1:37.356 ahead of Webber and Vettel. The Sauber driver improves again on the next lap, clocking in at 1:37.272. The mediums manage to remain performant over several laps, and at the end of the 60-minute practice, it’s ultimately Sebastian Vettel who secures the best time of this final practice session. The four-time world champion completed the circuit in 1:36.733, two-tenths faster than Mark Webber. Hamilton is 3rd, Hülkenberg 4th, and Grosjean 5th. Button, Rosberg, Pérez, Bottas, and Sutil complete the top 10.

Result of Free Practice 3 of the 2013 United States Grand Prix: