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<strong>FP3:</strong> Bottas on top as Mercedes stretches clear of Ferrari

FP3: Bottas on top as Mercedes stretches clear of Ferrari

Published on 22 Jun 2019 13:00
5
By: Fergal Walsh

Valtteri Bottas has ended the final practice from the Circuit Paul Ricard on top of the timesheets, as he narrowly beat teammate Lewis Hamilton ahead of qualifying.

The gap between the Mercedes duo was less than a tenth of a second, while Ferrari lingered over four-tenths behind Bottas' best lap tie of 1:30.159.

Charles Leclerc was ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel as he was after Friday running. However, the gap read just a couple of hundredths between the two Italian cars.

Red Bull struggles to keep up

The Red Bull cars seem to be well clear of the fight, as Max Verstappen ended up in P5, 1.3 seconds down on Bottas.

Pierre Gasly was half a tenth down on his teammate in sixth, however, it looks like Red Bull's fight in qualifying could be closer to the midfield battle rather than the front of the grid.

Verstappen complained during the session of a lack of grip, and was seen taking to the run-off area on multiple occasions.

Behind the Red Bull pair, the battle continues between McLaren and Renault as Lando Norris finished a tenth and a half ahead of Daniel Ricciardo for eighth.

Carlos Sainz was ninth in the second McLaren, while Alfa Romeo will be hoping to keep up its strong pace in qualifying, as Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the top ten.

Nico Hulkenberg in the second Renault was one-tenth down on Raikkonen for a spot inside the top ten.

Engine issues for Russell

After stepping aside Nicholas Latifi for FP1 on Friday, George Russell lost more track time as he limped back to the pit lane with an engine issue. The Briton managed just four laps during the session, and failed to set a competitive time.

Toro Rosso, Haas and Racing Point locked out positions 13th through to 18th, with mere tenths separating the three teams, meaning it is likely that all three teams are in danger of seeing a car, or possibly two drop out in Q1.

F1Grand Prix France - Free practice 3

Paul Ricard - 22 June 2019

Driver

Team

Time

Difference

#
1

Valtteri Bottas

Mercedes

1:30.159

18
2

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:30.200

+0.041

15
3

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:30.605

+0.446

15
4

Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari

1:30.633

+0.474

13
5

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

1:31.538

+1.379

11
6

Pierre Gasly

Red Bull Racing

1:31.599

+1.440

14
7

Lando Norris

McLaren

1:31.654

+1.495

14
8

Daniel Ricciardo

Renault

1:31.802

+1.643

12
9

Carlos Sainz jr

McLaren

1:31.887

+1.728

14
10

Kimi Räikkönen

Alfa Romeo Racing

1:31.943

+1.784

16
11

Nico Hülkenberg

Renault

1:32.023

+1.864

15
12

Antonio Giovinazzi

Alfa Romeo Racing

1:32.171

+2.012

15
13

Alexander Albon

Toro Rosso

1:32.178

+2.019

16
14

Romain Grosjean

Haas F1

1:32.385

+2.226

15
15

Kevin Magnussen

Haas F1

1:32.400

+2.241

13
16

Sergio Perez

Racing Point

1:32.491

+2.332

15
17

Daniil Kvyat

Toro Rosso

1:32.540

+2.381

22
18

Lance Stroll

Racing Point

1:32.678

+2.519

14
19

Robert Kubica

Williams

1:33.902

+3.743

21
20

George Russell

Williams

1:39.987

+9.828

4

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F1 News Valtteri Bottas Mercedes

Replies (5)

f1fan0101

Posts: 1,804
well i'll see you in 2020
- + 0
- Jun 22 2019 - 13:31
- xoya
  
  Posts: 583
  Even though it's already a done deal, I have watched every race of every season since around 2001 (sporadically even eariler, I was born in '87.) and if Schumi (or Monaco 2018) didn't manage to make me not watch F1, neither will Hamilton. :)
  + 0
  
  Jun 22 2019 - 14:04
- f1fan0101
  
  Posts: 1,804
  I'm being over dramatic of course but its still super frustrating!
  + 0
  
  Jun 22 2019 - 14:52
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  I hear ya, f1fan. It's a tragedy. I will watch it, but I'm not sure I will enjoy it.
  + 0
  
  Jun 22 2019 - 15:43
- abhidbgt
  
  Posts: 283
  Such is the nature of this sport.
  + 0
  
  Jun 22 2019 - 16:18