F1
EL3 – Ferrari still ahead, Hamilton in the wall at Spa
The third and final practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix seemed to be heading towards an agreed scenario, with the final tests of wings, tires and refueling.
However, half an hour from the end, the red flag was waved by the stewards of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). The image is rare, surprising: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) stuck in the tire wall!
The final moment practice ended in the wall for Lewis Hamilton at Spa #F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/M6Ar5O0I36
The Briton went off the track while braking in the Fagnes sequence. Several aerodynamic elements broke during the impact against the protections, as did the left front axle. The mechanics have their work cut out for them to repair the car before 15 p.m., start of qualifying.
More precisely, there are numerous parts to replace before qualifying: front wing and nose, side deflectors, suspensions and tie rods, flat bottom. The team says it is confident of returning the new car to Lewis Hamilton before the fateful time.
This crash hardly disrupted the Ferrari. Long dominated by Sebastian Vettel, the session finally saw Charles Leclerc set the best time in his last run. The Monegasque's lead is comfortable (451 thousandths). Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) fails by almost half a second.
The beautiful surprise of this morning is the work of Daniel Ricciardo (Renault). The Australian ranks fourth in EL3, ahead of the crowd's favorite Max Verstappen (Red Bull). The team led by Christian Horner has also racked its brains when it comes to the rear wing, combining high and low downforce solutions.
This reflection explains in particular the apparent poor performance ofAlexander albon, which brings up the rear at more than six seconds, behind even the Williams.
In the French clan, Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) reassures himself with a 10th time, and a margin of around a second on his teammate Daniil Kvyat (17th). The former Red Bull driver is followed by his compatriot Romain Grosjean (Haas) and the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg.
Ranking Belgian Grand Prix 2019 – Free Practice 3:
Medhi Casaurang
Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!
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