EL3 in Austria: Vettel shows himself before qualifying

Sebastian Vettel sets a new track record at the Red Bull Ring to dominate the third free practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Published on 30/06/2018 à 13:09

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EL3 in Austria: Vettel shows up before qualifying

The pilot Ferrari clocks a lap in 1'04''070 with the Ultra-Soft tires and is ahead of the Mercedes of his rival Lewis Hamilton of 29 thousandths. The two quadruple world champions take their teammates in their wake, Valtteri Bottas getting the better of Kimi Räikkönen at the end of a session marked by a few off-piste excursions.

The Red Bull de Max Verstappen et Daniel Ricciardo stand in a tenth in the 5th and 6th rows. The Dutchman, however, had to park his RB14 at the side of the track at the end of the session following an engine shutdown and loss of power steering.

Romain Grosjean consolidates his position as best of the others with a new 7th place at the wheel of his Haas. The Frenchman, still looking for his first point this season, precedes his teammate Kevin Magnussen, a sign that the American team is in good shape in the hills of Styria, and Carlos Sainz who places the yellow Renault in the Top 10 for the first time this weekend.

On a track that he particularly likes, Charles Leclerc continues to impress with the 10th time. The Monegasque nevertheless concluded his program on a less positive note due to an engine problem which forced him to stop at Turn 2 in the last seconds of running.

Blues Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) and Esteban Ocon (Force India) finished 12th and 13th, behind the R.S.18 of Nico Hulkenberg. One time 8th, Fernando Alonso finally slips to 14th place with the highest ranked of McLaren the Williams de Lance stroll and Sergey Sirotkin bring up the rear.

Dominant Friday, Hamilton sees Hag return to the forefront before the qualifying session. Who will take pole position? To find out, follow our live commentary on CARhebdo.fr from 15h00.