Verstappen continues to dominate in rainy final practice at F1 Spanish Grand Prix
Red Bull’s Verstappen stays ahead of the pack in Barcelona
The skies opened up over the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, causing a stir among drivers during their Free Practice 3 session. The changeable weather provided an exciting and unpredictable environment for teams to tackle before qualifying.
Teams rush out as rain threatens FP3 program
With dark clouds looming overhead, all drivers were eager to get some dry running under their belts while they had the chance. Teams were forced to alter run programs as spots of rain began appearing around the track. However, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen managed to stay on top with his best time of 1:13:664s.
Sargeant skids off as heavy rains hit final sector
The predicted downpour finally arrived at about ten minutes into FP3, soaking parts of the circuit and making conditions slippery – catching Williams’ Logan Sargeant off-guard as he went off-track and tapped gently onto a wall. As more rainfall persisted, officials held up a red flag – putting an end to any further improvements. After nine minutes passed without rain intensifying or subsiding, practice resumed but it wasn’t until halfway through that we saw sporadic activity on dampened tracks.
Norris leads others in intermediate tire reconnaissance lap
Lando Norris bravely took charge by conducting a recon lap on intermediates just so he can test for conditions ideal for both Saturday afternoon’s qualifying and Sunday grand prix races where temperatures may drop significantly.
The last few minutes ushered several single hot laps from those who switched back Pirelli’s soft slicks hoping that areas nearer started drying up will give them better times than earlier efforts when wetness was still prevalent.
In spite of the drying sectors, Verstappen still remained on top followed by Perez, Hamilton, Sainz and Alonso. Russell was sixth ahead of Leclerc with Valtteri Bottas in eighth place for Alfa Romeo.
Discontinuity leads to unpredictable circumstances
The unexpected weather patterns led to a disjointed practice session that disrupted teams’ usual run programs. However, the uncertainty added an extra layer of excitement as drivers had to improvise and adapt quickly during FP3.
All eyes will be on how conditions unfold during qualifying as well as Sunday’s Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.