Practice 3 Report - Mercedes one-two in wet

George Russell
© Mercedes

Mercedes dominated the final practice session for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton securing the top two spots. The session was heavily influenced by overnight and early morning rain, which necessitated a delay of the Sprint F3 race until later in the afternoon. Fortunately, the rain ceased 30 minutes before the start of FP3, allowing drivers to take to the track on Intermediate tyres.

George Russell clocked the fastest lap with a time of 1:28.942, edging out his teammate Lewis Hamilton by a mere 0.035 seconds, with Hamilton posting a time of 1:28.977. This one-two finish was unexpected but demonstrated Mercedes’ ability to adapt to the challenging wet conditions.

Pirelli had provided all drivers with a new set of Intermediate tyres, ensuring they had sufficient rubber for both qualifying and the race. This strategic move was crucial, as most drivers initially used the set they scrubbed at the end of FP1. Ferrari opted for a conservative strategy by removing the new floor from Charles Leclerc’s car, reverting to the spec used in the first part of the season. This decision was made due to concerns that the new floor, while generating more downforce, made the SF-24 difficult to handle and prone to porpoising. Given the likelihood of wet conditions for qualifying and parts of the race, Ferrari prioritized stability for Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

The session was not without incidents. Pierre Gasly spun into the gravel at Vale on his first timed lap, causing the only red flag of FP3 just seven minutes in. Although Gasly’s car was undamaged, the Frenchman could not continue as marshals retrieved his Alpine A524. Max Verstappen also faced challenges, spinning on his out lap, while Valtteri Bottas struggled to get his Sauber’s tyres up to temperature, resulting in a spin at Turn 4. Lando Norris, who had led both of Friday’s sessions, had a brief off at Copse but managed to set the third fastest time.

Norris’ best lap time was 1:29.134, placing him just behind the Mercedes duo. Carlos Sainz followed closely with a time of 1:29.224, and Max Verstappen secured fifth place with a lap of 1:29.339. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri completed the top seven with times of 1:29.471 and 1:29.528, respectively. A last-minute effort from Fernando Alonso saw him take P8 with a time of 1:29.637, while Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg rounded out the top ten, with times of 1:29.718 and 1:29.756.

One significant highlight of the session was the improved performance and durability of the Intermediate tyres. Drivers, including Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo, managed to complete over 20 laps on the same set, with Hamilton and Ricciardo extending to 28 laps while still maintaining competitive lap times. This was a notable improvement over previous years when tyre degradation was a significant issue.

However, the session underscored ongoing struggles for VCARB, with Yuki Tsunoda finishing as their quickest driver in P14 with a time of 1:30.002, and Ricciardo enduring a tough session, placing 18th with a lap of 1:30.459. Zhou Guanyu also struggled, finishing 19th, while Gasly, due to his early spin, did not set a lap time.

As teams prepare for a potentially wet qualifying session, Mercedes’ unexpected dominance in FP3 has set the stage for an exciting weekend at Silverstone.