Austrian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: Verstappen once again in the lead

At the beginning of the session, all drivers were completing their laps on the Pirelli Test tire. A new tire that will make its debut at the next Grand Prix at Silverstone. Laps that allowed teams to understand the behavior of this tire in qualifying.

Very performant last week, the AlphaTauri confirmed their good form by dominating the time sheet. Advantage to Yuki Tsunoda, 13 milliseconds ahead of his garage neighbor after 20 minutes of driving.

Lando Norris was the first driver of the session to complete a lap on the tires used this weekend. Unfortunately for the British driver, he had to cut short his effort after running wide at the first corner.

After 30 minutes, it was Max Verstappen who set the best time of the session with a 1’04’941. Having dominated the Styrian Grand Prix, the Dutch driver is determined to seek a new victory on this track that has often been successful for him in the past.

Close call for Charles Leclerc who almost lost his car. Braking too late into turn 4, the Monegasque hit the gravel but managed to keep his Ferrari on track. Nikita Mazepin had a similar incident at the same turn later in the session. The difference being that the Russian was unable to keep his modest Haas on the tarmac.

It’s Max Verstappen who finished at the top of the timesheet. Winner at the Red Bull Ring last season, the Dutch confirms his status as the favorite for this Styrian Grand Prix by finishing 5 tenths ahead of his rival, Lewis Hamilton. Having just signed a two-year contract, the British driver has spent a lot of time on the simulator in recent days in order to be a bigger threat this weekend.

Result of Free Practice 3: