The last free practice session in Spain ends with the first time of Max Verstappen, followed by Perez and Hamilton in a…wet Barcelona! The long-awaited rain arrived during FP3. All the riders immediately took to the track as the clouds gathered. A rain that messes up the plans of those teams that have decided to bring many updates to Spain, such as Ferrari that arrived at Montmelò with an SF-23 EVO. The updates della Rossa are the first step towards a development direction that follows the one undertaken by Red Bull, the first undisputed force. So let's see what happened during this last practice session before qualifying on the Catalan track.
Ferrari, collect as much data as possible
Also in this session both riders of the Red Team lapped with the new SF-23. In FP1 a comparative test had been made, while in the FP2 the updates have also arrived on Leclerc's single-seater. Overall the feelings of the team and of Sainz e Leclerc, look positive, and there's a lot of anticipation for the most important sessions, namely qualifying and the race. In FP3 the rain didn't allow for further testing on the long run which yielded interesting data yesterday. With these updates, the team is already moving towards 2024, but also hopes to be able to take small steps forward.
Sargeant's Williams in gravel
The session was not interrupted immediately by the rain, but by a long run by Logan Sargeant who after 10 minutes of the session ended up in the gravel and then against the wall right at the last corner. Let's remember that from this year the configuration of the circuit no longer includes the chicane in the final stretch, and this acceleration fooled poor Sargeant. At the break, the top five are Verstappen, Perez, Hamilton, Sainz, Alonso.
Back to some activity on the track
The first intrepid driver to take to the track in the rain with 27 minutes to go was Lando Norris, who after a rather tiring patrol lap given the still rubberized track conditions, returned to the pits. McLaren found a good ally in the rain in Monaco and hopes to find the same conditions again here.
A few minutes later, Ferrari also decided to get back on track and he does it however with both riders and with intermediate tyres. Although it is impossible to improve on the previous time, Ferrari also wants to test the behavior of the updated cars in the wet. Conditions that we will probably also see in qualifying!
15 minutes from the end, all the other drivers also took to the track, with the exception of Sargeant – who ended the session early after the accident, Hamilton, Bottas, Zhou and Alonso. Even in the rain Max Verstappen is the fastest. Perez follows him more than a second. Lance Stroll made a short excursion in gravel and was called to the pits to check the damage to the floor, even though the Canadian would have preferred to continue. Mistake also for Pierre Gasly. With 8 minutes to go, Bottas, Zhou and Alonso also took to the track. He does not return to the track instead of Hamilton.
Norris tries slicks
Lando Norris with 5 minutes to go on the track with slicks taking some risks by anticipating others who resort to this choice a couple of rounds later. Strategy tests at McLaren?
FP3 therefore concludes with the times set in the first part of the session: first Max Verstappen, followed by Perez and Hamilton. Here are the full times! Appointment at 16:00 for qualifications!
