Monaco – Free Practice 3: Vettel reassures himself but Mercedes and Red Bull remain close behind
Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time in FP3, ahead of the two Mercedes of Hamilton and Rosberg and the two Red Bulls of Ricciardo and Verstappen. The gaps between these three teams are very small, so qualifying promises to be a tight affair.
The third and final free practice session before qualifying this afternoon begins under a beautiful sun and on a relatively abrasive track that reaches 34 degrees.
Right from the start, the top dogs hit the track. The two Mercedes drivers equip the new Ultra-Soft tires brought by Pirelli for the first time in a Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen mimic the Silver Arrows in their desire to better understand this new component.
After 10 minutes of the session, Jolyon Palmer already makes a mistake as he exits the Swimming Pool. He spins his Renault, also on Ultra-Soft tires, and touches the barrier with his rear wing. However, he manages to return to the pits for the necessary repairs.
.@JolyonPalmer goes sideways through the Swimming Pool section #FP3 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/kUdENj4Ckk
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 May 2016
The first reference is set by Vettel at 1.15.433, followed by the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The Ferrari driver needs to regain confidence after a very messy first day. Also on Ultra-Soft tires, Sergio Perez surprises everyone and puts his Force India in 3rd place, less than two-tenths behind the new benchmark set a little earlier by Nico Rosberg at 1.15.181. Vettel, improving, follows him by 2 hundredths of a second.
Also on Ultra-Softs, Daniel Ricciardo puts his Red Bull in second position, one hundredth behind Rosberg while his teammate Verstappen is in 5th, lurking. It’s at this point that the two Mercedes decide to return to the track, still on Ultra-Softs. But the Red Bulls are definitely very strong in Monaco, and Ricciardo immediately takes the best time at 1:14.407 followed like a shadow, 0.274 seconds behind, by Max Verstappen.
The drivers enter the final half-hour of the session, and the Top 10 at the moment includes: Ricciardo, Verstappen, Rosberg, Vettel, Perez, Hamilton, Kvyat, Sainz, Hülkenberg, and Räikkönen. As has been the case since the start of the weekend, the Williams are struggling, with Massa in 12th place and Bottas a bit further back in 14th. An amusing detail, both Toro Rosso drivers have set exactly the same time!
It can’t get more equal than that! 1:15.618 for both our guys! 😂😂 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/RkbV6wXB1Z
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy) May 28, 2016
After a brief lull, the drivers return to the track for the final 15 minutes, aiming to set a fast lap in preparation for qualifying. The Ultra-Softs are out. Vettel takes advantage to snatch the best time with 1:14.650, while Verstappen grazes the barrier at Massenet.
Lewis Hamilton finally improves by taking 2nd place, 18 thousandths behind Vettel, who almost lost control of his car at the tunnel exit, on the bump that has already claimed a few victims this weekend. On the French side, Romain Grosjean is 17th and does not seem to have found the solution on his Haas this weekend, despite his team’s optimistic statements.
At the end of the session, Kevin Magnussen abandons his Renault at Sainte Devote after going straight at the end of the main straight. All drivers are therefore searching for the limit before this afternoon’s decisive qualifying. The final free practice concludes with the best time set by Vettel, but the top four are separated by just 157 thousandths of a second.
TOP 10 (End of #FP3)
1 VET
2 HAM
3 ROS
4 RIC
5 VES
6 KVY
7 SAI
8 PER
9 RAI
10 HUL #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/HYCrHK284Y— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 mai 2016
From our special correspondent in Monaco
