Italian GP 2019
SEPTEMBER 7, 2019
Practice 3 Report - Seb's ahead
© RV Press
By Dan Knutson in Monza
Charles Leclerc was the fastest driver in Friday’s Free Practice sessions for the Italian Grand Prix, but his Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel forged ahead in Saturday’s FP3.
The line-up for the weekend was: Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari – Vettel and Leclerc; Red Bull TAG Heuer –Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon; Renault – Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg; Haas Ferrari – Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; McLaren Renault – Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris; Racing Point Mercedes – Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll; Alfa Romeo Ferrari – Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi; Toro Rosso Honda – Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly; Williams Mercedes – George Russell and Robert Kubica.
Although Leclerc had topped both Friday’s practice sessions – his best lap was a 1:20.978 – he was still wary about the Mercedes challenge.
“It was nice to be quickest,” he said after FP2, “but I don’t think it is a real picture of everything as we expect Mercedes to be very strong when we will be in the same conditions as they did their fastest lap time in difficult conditions. They are very quick and we need to work tomorrow.”
The ambient temperature at the start of the 60-minute session was 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Centigrade) and the track temperature was 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Centigrade).
But, while the clock had started to countdown, the pit exit remained closed.
Earlier in the day Alex Peroni’s car had been launched high into the air and then into a fence after it ran over a sausage curb at the Parabolica. Workers were busy removing the offending curb before the F1 drivers would be let out on the track.
The pit exit was opened after a 10-minute delay, so the drivers had 50 minutes of track time remaining in the session.
Sainz took the early lead with a time of 1:21.736. Kvyat was in second place ahead of Gasly, Russell and Kubica after 10 minutes of running.
A few minutes later Vettel used a set of Pirelli’s soft compound tires to clock a 1:20.611. Moments later Leclerc, on the same rubber, crossed the line in 1:21.010. But then he improved to 1:20.452.
Just before the half-hour mark Ricciardo slotted into third place ahead of Albon, Giovinazzi and Hulkenberg. But Hamilton, Bottas had yet to clock fast times, and Verstappen had done just three laps and was in the pits having done no flying laps at all.
When Verstappen finally got going, he recorded a 1:20.859, which put him third. But then Hamilton took third and Albon fourth so now Verstappen was fifth. But then the Dutch driver bounced back to third again.
A number of drivers were having their lap times deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 11 – the Curva Grande leading on to the pit straight. Included on the list were: Albon, Magnussen, Leclerc and Grosjean. Magnussen and Albon were repeat offenders. It was one thing in FP3, but it would have dire consequences if the same happened in qualifying.
Leclerc, Vettel, Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Albon, Sainz, Perez, Ricciardo and Norris were the top 10 with 20 minutes remaining. And now all the drivers were in the pits preparing for their qualifying simulations.
The Ferrari boys were the first to go back out, and 13 minutes were left in FP3. Leclerc set a 1:20.465, and Vettel a 1:20.331. So the latter was now the leader of the pack.
Soon thereafter just about every driver was on track. The lucky ones would catch a tow off another car to improve their lap times. Verstappen grabbed second place ahead of Leclerc, Ricciardo and Hamilton. Leclerc had two of his times deleted for exceeding track limits, as did Stroll.
Vettel and Verstappen remained first and second, but the order behind them continued to change. And when it was all over, Bottas, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Albon, Giovinazzi and Kvyat rounded out the top 10.