Free 3: Fernando Alonso fastest in final practice at Spa

Championship leader, Fernando Alonso, has ended the final practice session at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit fastest for Ferrari, as the teams and drivers now look ahead to this afternoon’s all-important qualifying hour. The Ferrari driver was followed by Kimi Raikkonen, with Sergio Perez a close 3rd for Sauber.

Unlike yesterday’s torrid weather conditions, this morning’s final practice session as run in glorious sunshine. With the teams and drivers unable to complete much running during yesterday’s two practice sessions, it was expected to be an immensely frenetic final hour of practice as the drivers prepared for the remainder of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

Kamui Kobayashi led a long queue of awaiting drivers out onto the track once the session got underway, with some drivers even opting to continue for a flying lap straight away instead of just completing the usual one single installation lap. Jean-Eric Vergne set the initial pace for Toro Rosso, however Bruno Senna was quick to jump to the top shortly after with a 01:57.562. It wasn’t long before the front runners quickly rose to the top, with Mark Webber setting a 01:56.957 to go fastest. The Australian driver will drop five places on the grid after qualifying, after requiring a gearbox change on his Red Bull.

Bruno Senna then returned to the top of the timing sheets, with the Williams driver keen to make up for lost time after only completing three laps in the treacherous conditions yesterday. Nico Rosberg’s preparations for qualifying were dealt a big blow as the session progressed, as the Mercedes driver was seen peeling off the track with what looked like a mechanical issue on his car. Whilst Rosberg’s car was pushed to safety by the marshals, Bruno Senna continued to set fast laps, with a 01:51.741 atop the timing sheets.

Fernando Alonso brought an end to the Brazilian’s reign, as the Championship leader set a 01:50.936 to go fastest. With many drivers striving to find the ideal setup ahead of qualifying, drivers including Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button were heard complaining of their setup, with Raikkonen requesting his Lotus mechanics change the car.

As the session entered it’s closing stages, the times quickly began to tumble as the likes of Sergio Perez, Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber all momentarily shared the top spot. However, it was the dominant Ferrari of Fernando Alonso who ended the session fastest overall, with a 01:48.542 enough to keep the Spaniard at the top throughout the closing minutes. Kimi Raikkonen was only a tenth off the Ferrari driver, with the Finn predicted by many for victory for this weekend’s 44-lap race.

With all three practice sessions now over, the teams and drivers will be desperately crunching the numbers ahead of this afternoon’s qualifying session. With the likes of Marussia running extensive updates, it looks set to be a highly competitive qualifying session throughout the entire 24-car field.

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