Le FP3 a Silverstone they close with a front row – symbolic – all Red Bull with Max Verstappen e Sergio Perez. Since he hit the track Max has never lost the comparison with opponents, by placing record times lap after lap. The best one, on which the stopwatch stops is by 1:27.901, 4 tenths from the others. Third Leclerc, who reported a gearbox problem to his team at the end. Qualifications are approaching and there Red Bull seems to have found the right path, leaving behind Ferrari e Mercedes, who wants to go back to playing with the big names. Watch out for the weather because it could rain in qualifying!
Red Bull at the top
Evaluation session for the Red Bull arrived at Silverstone updates significant. The new RB18, leaner than the previous versions, has many new features but between rain and problems the team had little time to collect data. In yesterday's day Max Verstappen tested a new fund, close to the philosophy of the one recently introduced by Ferrari. Today that fund was also mounted on the RB18 of the other Red Bull man, Sergio Perez. After several problems in FP2 and a night of intense work in the pits, the Austrian team put the cars back on track in FP3, which gave decidedly more encouraging signs.
Even if we don't know the fuel loads, or the mappings that the teams used in these tests the impression is that both Max and Red Bull are 100%. This is also demonstrated by the big paw that the Dutchman gave as soon as he set foot on the track. Max manages to stand out everywhere but above all in the fastest sector, the second, in the section from Copse to Becketts. A point where it takes a lot of confidence to do it fully. Something that others, at the moment, would seem not to have, especially a cause of the bouncing.
Concrete Ferrari but watch out for bouncing
One of the "killer" factors of this season is the hopping of the single-seaters with ground effect. Between pouring and bouncing, every race is an unknown factor and some teams are still looking for the solution that allows them to address this problem as much as possible. Red Bull at the moment has no rivals in this. He has a lot of speed and zero bouncing, and this is no small advantage, especially in qualifying. A factor that puts it in a position to be able to do everything. Unlike Ferrari which has experienced this problem, as well as in the past Grands Prix, also in FP3 at Silverstone. Sainz complained about bouncing, a distraction factor for the riders who sometimes fight for pole on the edge of the thousandth. In fact, a small imperfection can ruin everything. Pole would seem almost impossible for Ferrari but basically the F1-75 proved to be very competitive even in the long run. Furthermore, Charles has always shown that he can say something more when it comes to fast lap.
Mercedes approaches
Expectations are growing at Mercedes. The Brackley team arrived at Silverstone after an excellent weekend in Canada and is looking for definitive confirmation on theevolution of the W13 which at the beginning of the championship was far from the values of Red Bull and Ferrari. One of the problems that has afflicted the star's team the most is that of porpoising. A problem that should weigh heavily at Silverstone. However, during FP3 neither Russell nor Hamilton blamed the problem as much, except in the finale. TO session end the two heroes of the house they placed between Red Bull and Ferrari, back with Sainz. Good performances therefore, but in the past these performances have appeared as a "flash in the pan", the feeling is that this time, the silver arrows have so much potential.
Mixed group center
Qualifying, especially if the rain could reserve us nice surprises and brawls, even in the middle of the group where Norris' McLaren - more than Ricciardo's - and Alfa Romeo go head-to-head with the two Alpine. The fight for the 4 places available in Q3, already considering Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, is getting interesting. Also keep an eye out for Mick Schumacher, still chasing the first points.
Waiting for the qualifications which will start at 16:00 here are all the times of the last free practice session.
