Qatar Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: Valtteri Bottas remains at the top of the standings

Mazepin OUT, Red Bull and Mercedes in the midst of psychological warfare

Nikita MAZEPIN is the first to attempt to start his session. He causes a red flag in the first few seconds of these FP3.

The Russian driver had to come to a stop at the end of the pit lane due to an engine issue. The session is stopped so that the mechanics can safely retrieve the car.

As a reminder, his race car was damaged the day before and HAAS had to change his driver’s chassis.

At the other end of the pit lane, a big game of bluff is being played, against the backdrop of rear wing compliance.

The Austrian firm puts an army of mechanics in front of the cars so that no one can check what is being worked on the rear wings of the single-seaters 11 and 33.

Beside that, the two team leaders at Mercedes and Red Bull are engaging in a war of words concerning this famous conformity of the Mercedes wing.

The question mark regarding the Mercedes is located on the fixed plane below the mobile flap. It is suspected that the outer part of this piece deforms by a few millimeters, allowing a substantial increase in top speed.

In the Red Bull team, Max Verstappen’s rear wing upper flap is experiencing issues. When the DRS is activated, this flap does not stay fixed and disrupts the overall aerodynamics.

Is this a way to fuel the debate?

Is there a real concern about reliability that could compromise the Dutchman’s race?

A session that starts late.

It takes fifteen minutes for Lewis Hamilton to show his Mercedes, and encourage the other drivers to do the same.

However, the philosophy of these FP3 is different from what is usually done. We are at the end of the season, and this race in Losail is the third of a series of weekly Grand Prix races.

After two races in South America, the transfer to Qatar tired the bodies. But my teams also have fewer spare parts available. The risk-taking must be limited and the rolling time is affected.

For half an hour, the session is dedicated to getting your bearings and adjusting tests without however seeking the adhesion limit of the package.

The last ten minutes to prepare for the qualifications

The Mercedes seem to have found the optimal settings. The two drivers who take turns clocking the best time are quite close. The silver arrows seem rather easy and have not yet revealed their full potential.

For Red Bull drivers, the session was productive. The gains in top speed are there, but the stability of the car is not as important as with their rivals. The car slides a bit and in terms of lap times, this results in a difference of three tenths.

At first glance behind the top four in pure performance, Pierre Gasly proves once again that he is the strong man of this season, he is fourth and stands between Verstappen and Perez. The Ferraris are also in good form and are the pleasant surprise of these tests. The advantage for the third place in the constructors’ championship seems clearly to belong to them.

The rankings of the session