Spain, FP3: Leclerc quickest in final practice for Spanish Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc posted the fastest lap of FP3 for the FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix to make it a clean sweep of practice session top sports, though the championship leader finished just seven hundredths of a second ahead of defending champion Max Verstappen with George Russell third in an improved Mercedes.

Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz, who was in a changed chassis owing to fuel system problem, began the final practice where they left off at the end of FP2, with Sainz and then Leclerc claiming top sport when they took to the track after 15 minutes.

Leclerc jumped to the top of the order with a lap of 1:20.278. Verstappen didn’t emerge until close to the halfway mark and he slotted into P2. Leclerc went for a second run on softs and he set a new benchmark of 1:19.772 that remained until the end of the session.

Sainz also improved on a second run with a lap of 1:20.129s, but that was only good enough for fifth place as Mercedes’ upgraded W13 continued to impress.

George Russell finished third in the uprated car, posting a lap of 1:19.920 that left him just 0.148 behind Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton meanwhile took fourth place with a lap of 1:20.002 that put him a tenth ahead of Sainz who in turn two tenths ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez.

Lando Norris finished seventh for McLaren, with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo 11th, while Kevin Magnussen (Haas) and Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) produced encouraging displays for their respective teams by securing top-10 spots along with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

There was trouble in the session, though, for Mick Schumacher and Pierre Gasly.

AlphaTauri driver Gasly was forces to return to his team’s garage at the end of his installation lap, smoke emanating from the rear of his AT03. Haas driver Schumacher had a fire on hi rear-right brake assembly.