Germany – Free Practice 3: Rosberg Far Ahead of Hamilton and Alonso
The final practice session of the German Grand Prix in F1 was dominated by Nico Rosberg, well ahead of a duo composed of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. The qualifying should be closer between the two Mercedes.
Blue sky storm once again over the Hockenheim circuit to welcome the last free practice session of the German Grand Prix.
The session is underway! Adrian Sutil is the first to take to the track, followed by most of the other drivers. On Jean-Eric Vergne’s side, there’s a lot of activity: the engine cover is raised and the mechanics are working on the rear. Nico Rosberg is the first driver to clock a time of 1:21.343, but Magnussen surpasses him afterward. In the Ferrari garage, Fernando Alonso doesn’t seem in a hurry to get on the track: he is in discussion with Pedro de la Rosa.
After 20 minutes, Valtteri Bottas takes the lead with 1:19.052, ahead of Massa, Magnussen, Vettel, and Rosberg. Räikkönen moves up to third place before being called back to the pits for a problem with the fuel system. Ricciardo and Alonso have still not set a time, and they are the only ones in this situation. Both men head out on track shortly before the mid-session. The Spaniard has a spin during one of his flying laps. Moments after this mishap, Räikkönen, back on track, takes the lead with 1:18.842, driving a rather stable Ferrari compared to Alonso’s. It should be noted, however, that he achieved this time on super soft tires.
After 40 minutes, Finland is in force: Räikkönen leads ahead of Bottas. Following are Massa, Ricciardo, and Rosberg. The session saw multiple errors, as yesterday, with drivers running wide at the exit of turn 1 in particular – which should lead to reprimands from the stewards – but also in the twisty part of the track. Grosjean, in this regard, complains of a changing behavior of his car in the sequence of turns 12 and 13.
10 minutes to go, the drivers set off for qualifying laps on super soft tires. Alonso takes the provisional lead, 5 tenths ahead of Räikkönen, but Rosberg soon snatches it with 1:17.779. Hamilton falls 6 tenths short of his teammate but complains about vibrations in the tires.
The checkered flag is lowered and it’s Nico Rosberg who sets the fastest time, far ahead of Lewis Hamilton who wasn’t at his full potential.
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
1 | Rosberg | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1:17.779 | 24 | |
2 | Hamilton | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1:18.380 | +0.601 | 20 |
3 | Alonso | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:18.384 | +0.605 | 11 |
4 | Massa | Williams Martini Racing | 1:18.575 | +0.796 | 18 |
5 | Bottas | Williams Martini Racing | 1:18.611 | +0.832 | 19 |
6 | Magnussen | McLaren Mercedes | 1:18.756 | +0.977 | 16 |
7 | Ricciardo | Infiniti Red Bull Racing | 1:18.769 | +0.990 | 13 |
8 | Räikkönen | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:18.842 | +1.063 | 8 |
9 | Vettel | Infiniti Red Bull Racing | 1:18.890 | +1.111 | 17 |
10 | Hülkenberg | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 1:19.127 | +1.348 | 19 |
11 | Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:19.131 | +1.352 | 19 |
12 | Vergne | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:19.470 | +1.691 | 20 |
13 | Button | McLaren Mercedes | 1:19.489 | +1.710 | 15 |
14 | Perez | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 1:19.505 | +1.726 | 21 |
15 | Gutierrez | Sauber F1 Team | 1:19.601 | +1.822 | 23 |
16 | Grosjean | Lotus F1 Team | 1:20.078 | +2.299 | 23 |
17 | Bianchi | Marussia F1 Team | 1:20.198 | +2.419 | 21 |
18 | Maldonado | Lotus F1 Team | 1:20.466 | +2.687 | 19 |
19 | Sutil | Sauber F1 Team | 1:20.844 | +3.065 | 6 |
20 | Kobayashi | Caterham F1 Team | 1:21.018 | +3.239 | 21 |
21 | Ericsson | Caterham F1 Team | 1:23.077 | +5.298 | 14 |
22 | Chilton | Marussia F1 Team | 1:23.449 | +5.670 | 7 |
