Charles Leclerc made it a Spanish Grand Prix practice P1 hat-trick – but he will need to look out for Mercedes in qualifying.
Unlike in Miami last time out, Mercedes were able to back up the promise they had shown in FP2 as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton mixed it with Ferrari and Red Bull for a second consecutive day at the Circuit de Catalunya.
It now looks very much like a three-team battle for honours in round six of the World Championship, with Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen also right in the hunt for front-row positions.
The Mercedes upgrades increasingly look like they are having the desired effect as they strive to improve upon their disappointing start to the campaign.
The European early summer sun beat down on Barcelona again with clear blue skies and umbrellas needed only for shade in the grandstands, as Lando Norris was first to head out on track with a new chassis for his McLaren following damage sustained to the floor in FP2. Sainz also had a new chassis in his F1-75.
No sooner had the session begun than Pierre Gasly was climbing back out of his car in the garage with smoke emanating from the AlphaTauri, but a driver who had problems on Friday afternoon, Valtteri Bottas, was having a more productive session, among the first to set representative times in the Alfa Romeo on soft tyres.
the team has spotted an issue on @PierreGASLY’s car that needs to be investigated
this unfortunately means he won’t take part in the rest of FP3 pic.twitter.com/N6pLHTN2bo
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) May 21, 2022
Twenty per cent of the session had elapsed with only five cars on the timesheet and one of them, Mick Schumacher’s Haas, then rolled back into the pits with its brakes on fire – the team’s mechanics, clad only in polo shirts and shorts, a little too close to the flames for comfort. That was the German’s running over – potentially even for qualifying too, Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz speculated.
Of the hopefuls for pole position…
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