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F1 2021

Ferrari appoints technology executive Vigna as new CEO (car company)​

Ferrari has appointed Italian tech executive Benedetto Bigna as its new CEO, filling a six-month vacancy at the helm of the automotive manufacturer following the departure at the end of last year of former chief executive Louis Camilleri. Vigna will join Ferrari on September 1 from STMicroelectronics where the 52-year-old Italian currently leads the Franco-Italian chip maker's Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group. "We’re delighted to welcome Benedetto Vigna as our new Ferrari CEO, " commented Ferrari Chairman and interim CEO John Elkann. "His deep understanding of the technologies driving much of the change in our industry, and his proven innovation, business-building and leadership skills, will further strengthen Ferrari and its unique story of passion and performance, in the exciting era ahead."

As the automotive industry undergoes a significant paradigm shift with a move towards electrification, Ferrari stated that Vigna's unique knowledge gained over 26 years working at the heart of the semiconductor industry will "accelerate Ferrari’s ability to pioneer the application of next generation technologies". Benedetto Vigna commented: "It’s a special honour to be joining Ferrari as its CEO and I do so with an equal sense of excitement and responsibility. Excitement at the great opportunities that are there to be captured. And with a profound sense of responsibility towards the extraordinary achievements and capabilities of the men and women of Ferrari, to all the company’s stakeholders and to everyone around the world for whom Ferrari is such a unique passion."
 

F1 Gossip​

An update on Lewis Hamilton's contract situation with Mercedes, Honda's engine upgrade plan revealed, and COTA open to hosting two races in 2021. It's all in the latest F1 gossip column. Lewis Hamilton is reportedly willing to take a pay cut to stay with Mercedes until the end of the 2022 F1 season, but wants his winning bonus to be doubled. Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has set a 15 June deadline for talks to be concluded

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that Honda will hold off introducing its permitted engine upgrade for as long as possible in a bid to extract the most performance out of it. In contrast, rivals Mercedes and Ferrari moved onto fresh engines in Baku

The Circuit of the Americas is open to hosting two F1 races this year to fill the void left by the cancellation of the Singapore Grand Prix

1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Max Verstappen and Red Bull deserved to keep their championship leads after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton’s “big mistake”. Meanwhile, ex-Ferrari F1 driver Eddie Irvine believes Verstappen is “definitely the fastest driver” on the current grid, but reckons Hamilton is “still the top driver”

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon has revealed that discussions took place on two separate occasions about him potentially making a sensational switch to F1. Gordon said he held talks with Jaguar and Williams
 

Farewell to a man whose passion for competition shaped McLaren and F1​

On Sunday in Baku, Formula 1 honoured two late personalities with a minute’s silence: former FIA president Max Mosley, and Mansour Ojjeh. The former was well-known beyond the sport; the latter’s name was familiar only to hardcore F1 fans. Yet the Parisian-born billionaire hugely influenced the sport from the sidelines without ever seeking the personal glory he so undisputedly deserved.

Ojjeh, who died on Sunday morning at the age of 68, came into Formula 1 via Frank Williams and his eponymous team in 1978. Ojjeh’s Syrian-born father Akram operated his conglomerate out of Paris and Luxembourg, trading in commodities as diverse as aviation, arms and real estate under the TAG banner, and enjoyed close relations with the House of Saud. Hence Mansour’s birthplace, although he later moved to Geneva.

When the royal house agreed to sponsor then-struggling Williams via Saudia Airlines they co-opted parties with whom they shared commercial links. One such company was Techniques d’Avant Garde – as TAG was formally known – and Mansour became the family’s contact with Williams. The team’s first title followed in 1980, and there are no doubts Ojjeh enjoyed F1’s hustle and bustle, although he stayed out of the limelight.

In 1983 Ojjeh took a call from McLaren’s Ron Dennis, then seeking a backer for a V6 turbo engine to be built by Porsche to specifications laid down by technical director John Barnard. Despite being a Williams sponsor, Ojjeh agreed to bankroll the project provided the TAG Turbo logo appeared on the engine covers. A year later the engine won the first of three consecutive drivers titles with Niki Lauda followed by Alain Prost in the next two years.

Never one to rest on his laurels, in 1985 Ojjeh acquired the iconic Heuer watch brand, renaming it TAG Heuer. It was later made famous by a succession of Ayrton Senna commercials using the strapline ‘Don’t crack under pressure’.

Shortly thereafter Barnard departed McLaren and Ojjeh bought into the team, via nominee companies, increasing his holdings to 50%, joint equal with Dennis. Ojjeh drove a succession of ‘hot’ customised cars, including a Porsche 911 powered by a road-going version of the TAG Turbo, and once suggested that Williams build a road-going sports car, which Frank declined.

Ojjeh set his sights on a McLaren supercar and outlined his plan to Dennis and new technical director Gordon Murray while the trio was stranded in Milan’s Linate Airport after the 1988 Italian Grand Prix. The limited edition McLaren F1 road car, a modern icon, was the result. Success has many fathers and there are no doubts Murray’s design genius and Dennis’ dogged determination ‘made’ the car, but Ojjeh’s dream and funding made possible what many still believe to be the world’s best supercar.

The race team rewrote history – winning 15 of 16 grands prix in 1988 (now powered by Honda) and taking serial titles with Senna and Prost – before hitting a fallow period. Ojjeh’s funding and belief smoothed over the inevitable financial troughs suffered by all race teams as results waxed and waned. McLaren’s survival as F1’s second-oldest team is largely down to his support. Never one to flaunt his wealth, estimates placed his fortune at £3bn.

However, Ojjeh’s biggest professional challenge lay ahead: Spygate, which saw McLaren fined $100m after being found guilty of sporting breaches by the FIA, presided over by Mosley. By then Ojjeh and Dennis had sold a total of 60% of McLaren Group to Mercedes and Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund – Ojjeh was friendly with the desert island’s royal family – but it was he who steered the ship diplomatically.

Around this that relations between Dennis and Ojjeh chilled, then froze over – they never recovered, suggesting a deeply personal fall-out – but he kept faith in McLaren. In 2013 he underwent a double lung transplant – according to sources the first attempt was unsuccessful, and the operation was repeated – but a year later he re-appeared in the paddock, still as courteous, polite and understated as ever.

Little did he know then that McLaren was heading for a disastrous period under Dennis – who had returned to the helm of the team after a spell running the resurrected Automotive division – and cars powered by Honda’s unsuccessful early hybrids. Dennis was ousted; Ojjeh and the Bahrainis restructured the company, primarily by bankrolling a switch to Renault power units, then recently Mercedes.

Although unconfirmed, sources suggest that it was Ojjeh who engineered McLaren’s deal to reunite with Mercedes after being refused by executives at the latter team. Ojjeh knew Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz from the Swede’s tenure as Mercedes nominee director on the McLaren board, and appealed directly. Deal done, without which McLaren would still be with Renault.

As Ojjeh’s health declined so he played a less visible role in the company, yet his heart and mind were still fully in it and one can only imagine the pleasures he felt as McLaren’s fight back began. True, world titles remain some way off, but so they were when TAG first sponsored Williams back in 1978.

I cannot claim to having known Mansour personally, having shaken hands thrice and nodded reciprocated greetings across the McLaren hospitality a few times. But I recall a man whose courtesy and manners remind of days gone by, and above all, whose passion for F1 and McLaren remained undiminished regardless of what this most capricious of sports threw his way.

He was a true enthusiast to the end, without whom McLaren would likely have been consigned to history. Rest in peace Mansour – your legacy is secure.
 
Bonjour, tout le monde!

Ce weekend, c'est le vroom vroom de France.

The UK times are:

Fri 18 June
FP1 - 10:30
FP2 - 14:00

Sat 19 June
FP3 - 11:00
Qual - 14:00

Sun 20 June
Race - 14:00

Fingers crossed it'll be more lively than in the past.

:thumbs:
 
Silverstone sounding positive that there will be (some?) fans at the British Grand Prix this year, despite it being the day before the new lockdown extension is due to end.

UPDATE: BRITISH GRAND PRIX 2021

Following today’s announcement confirming that the easing of lockdown restrictions will be delayed by four weeks, we’d like to reassure you that we remain confident fans will be back at Silverstone for the 2021 Formula 1 British Grand Prix in July. Our ongoing discussions with the Department for...
www.silverstone.co.uk www.silverstone.co.uk
I've got a ticket but only general entry for Sunday and if they have to scale back the crowd numbers I guess it will be the cheapest tickets they'll cancel first.
 
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Pirelli publish findings from Baku tyre blowouts​

Pirelli have found that a break in the inner sidewall of their tyres caused Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen’s high-speed incidents at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Aston Martin driver Stroll and World Championship leader Verstappen both crashed on the main straight in Baku after their left-rear tyres failed, with the pair travelling at speeds approaching 200mph – with the Dutchman blaming the tyre company and calling his crash “life-threatening” after the race. Neither driver was hurt in their offs and, while Pirelli say the accidents were not caused by a defect in their tyre construction, they blame the incidents on how the tyres were being run at the time.

Pirelli’s statement on the findings of their investigation of the incidents read: “There was no production or quality defect on any of the tyres; nor was there any sign of fatigue or delamination. The causes of the two left-rear tyre failures on the Aston Martin and Red Bull cars have been clearly identified. “In each case, this was down to a circumferential break on the inner sidewall, which can be related to the running conditions of the tyre, in spite of the prescribed starting parameters (minimum pressure and maximum blanket temperature) having been followed. As a result of this analysis, Pirelli have submitted their report to the FIA and the teams. The FIA and Pirelli have agreed a new set of the protocols, including an upgraded technical directive already distributed, for monitoring operating conditions during a race weekend and they will consider any other appropriate actions.”

Red Bull released a statement of their own on social media, confirming that Verstappen’s car was not running with any damage or defect at the time of the incident, saying they followed Pirelli’s guidance at all times. “We have worked closely with Pirelli and the FIA during their investigation into Max [Verstappen’s] tyre failure on lap 47 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and can confirm that no car fault was found,” said Red Bull. “We adhered to Pirelli’s tyre parameters at all times and will continue to follow their guidance. We are grateful that following the weekend’s high speed impacts no drivers were injured.”
 

New FIA directive on tyre pressures set to keep teams honest​

The FIA will introduce a series of control measures from this weekend's French Grand Prix to ensure that teams remain in line with Pirelli's prescriptions regarding tyre pressures. Formula 1's tyre supplier released on Tuesday the conclusions of its investigation into the rear-left blowouts suffered by Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll in the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Pirelli's investigation established that "there was no production or quality defect on any of the tyres", adding that the failures were caused by "a circumferential break on the inner sidewall, which can be related to the running conditions of the tyre".

The manufacturer also acknowledged that both Red Bull and Aston Martin followed the prescribed tyre pressure parameters, which the Milton Keynes-based team confirmed in a separate statement. Pirelli's conclusions nevertheless leave everyone with more questions than answers. While they do not explicitly accuse the teams of not following the prescribed parameters, the report inevitably hints at the possibility that Red Bull and Aston Martin may have tampered with the pressures using various ploys and run their tyres below the minimum threshold in order to seek a performance gain.

The FIA has responded to Pirelli's findings by issuing a technical directive in which it reminds all teams that it is their responsibility to ensure that tyre pressures conform with the manufacturer's prescriptions. However, with no reliable way for the FIA to control the pressures in "running conditions", or once a car is on track, new checks will be implemented from this weekend's race that will focus on controlling tyres after they have been run. Cold pressure checks will be conducted at random during practice and qualifying, and levels will need to conform with a "cold cooling curve" figure set by Pirelli.

Additional checks will rely on infrared cameras that will monitor tyre temperatures in a team's garage to ensure that teams do not purposefully overheat their tyres in their blankets to boost pressures ahead of the pre-running checks. The FIA's technical directive also clamps down on the practice of delaying a car's departure from its garage after its tyre blankets have been removed in a bid to lower running condition pressures. The FIA has warned that any team found to have been running under-inflated tyres, or tyres that are found after the race to be under Pirelli's prescribed pressure, will be reported to the stewards.
 

F1 Gossip​

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he’s keen on the city hosting a Formula 1 grand prix alongside Silverstone. He told the Evening Standard: "We’re speaking to Formula 1 and they’re really receptive. The reality is that the reigning champion of the world is a Brit. Lewis Hamilton is a credit to our nation and the sport, and it would great to have a grand prix in the capital city, to have Silverstone and London on the calendar."


The FIA has revealed its stricter technical directive regarding mandatory tyre operating procedures after the two tyre blowouts in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last time out. As cited by the BBC, teams will now be required to observe the relationship of minimum pressure as a function of tyre temperature. This will be checked after qualifying or the race after letting tyres cool down, or by reheating them to Pirelli’s temperature guidelines. The maximum tyre blanket temperatures will also be checked more, while the time teams can spend heating their tyres will be limited.

Silverstone hopes to get the go-ahead from the UK government to have a full 140,000 capacity crowd at next month’s British GP.

2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg is unconvinced that Mercedes should replace Valtteri Bottas with Williams’ George Russell.

Aston Martin sporting director Andy Stevenson has revealed his experience with Damon Hill at Jordan in the late-1990s convinced him that signing Sebastian Vettel for 2021 was the right move for the team.
 

Honda change branding for their F1 engines​

Honda's F1 engine branding is set to change from this weekend's French Grand Prix onwards. The engine manufacturer, who are officially pulling out of F1 at the end of this season, have changed the name of their engines to 'Honda e:Technology'.

Both Red Bull and AlphaTauri will have updated logos on their engine covers to reflect the new Honda branding, which comes at the same race that Honda are set to bring along an updated new specification engine for both teams.

Honda e:Technology' refers to Honda's electrification technology, used across their range with motorcycles, cars and power products. The same technology is also used in the Honda F1 engine's components, like the MGU-K and MGU-H. This is similar to Alpine's factory engine branding, with the Renault engine known as a 'Renault E-Tech'.
 
Early showing in FP1 has Red Bulls up front half a second up on Mercedes.

But the Paul Ricard Circuit is a pretty vulgar looking track.

I mean, the cars can crank up to 340 kph, but it looks like graphic design homework from a GCSE class. Not a hint of gravel.

I'm becoming an F1 track snob.

:p
 

Red Bull and Aston Martin did run lower pressures​

Pirelli has finally shed some more light on their findings from the two high-speed crashes in Baku caused by tyre blow-outs. Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll both suffered similar crashes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and, in their initial findings, the Italian tyre manufacturer said that the tyre failures were due to the ‘running conditions’ of the tyres at the time – which caused a break in the inner sidewall of Stroll and Verstappen’s left-rears.

While Red Bull and Aston Martin both issued statements to say they complied with all regulations regarding the tyres, Pirelli boss Mario Isola has since stated that their respective tyres did not inflate to the expected levels when they headed out on track and that, according to Pirelli, was the specific cause of the crashes. “What happened in Baku is simply that the running conditions expected were different compared to the actual running conditions – and that created the failure,” Isola told reporters in France. When you have a lot of energy going into the tyres, with the pressure that is lower compared to the expectation, the result is that on the sidewall you have what we call standing waves. Standing waves are putting a lot of energy into the inside shoulder of the tyre. And at a certain point, the tyre breaks. That is what happened, and the reason why we had this situation in in Baku.”

Isola did go on to state that neither Red Bull or Aston Martin broke the rules regarding tyre pressures, the issue was instead down to Pirelli’s initial parameters and margins not providing an accurate reflection of what they were then seeing out on track – due to the teams creating an unforeseen scenario as they searched for performance. “When we prepare the prescriptions [for minimum pressure], we receive the simulations and we consider margins,” he said. “The expected loads, the downforce or the speed, are simulated, so it is not exactly the value that we find on track. And in this case in Baku, we also found some parameters that were not exactly what we found on track. We assume that they are running at a certain pressure, and a certain camber. And with a margin on it, of course, we run in a condition that is okay for the tyre. In that case, we didn’t achieve these conditions, not because teams were doing something against the regulations, but because they were looking as usual for performance, and that created a different scenario to what we were expecting. And the different scenario was that mainly the tyres were running at a lower pressure compared to expectation.”
 
1%er said:
they were looking as usual for performance, and that created a different scenario to what we were expecting
Click to expand...
Seriously, Pirelli?

If Pirelli didn't expect teams to be looking for performance, they need to be in a different business.

I mean, what the fuck else do F1 teams want in a race tyre? Matching colours? More euphonic road noise?
 

First Practice Results – 2021 French Grand Prix​

French Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the first practice session of the 2021 F1 World Championship race from Paul Ricard.

Valtteri Bottas has topped the times in the first practice session at Paul Ricard. The Mercedes driver set a 1:33.448 on the soft compound Pirellis during a hot and sunny morning in the south of France. Bottas had to recover from an early error when he ran wide exiting Turn 2. Running into the escape area, Bottas scraped over the kerbing lining the corner and damaged the underside of his front wing as a result. He came back to the pits for a fresh wing before heading back out. Lewis Hamilton finished second, 0.335 behind his teammate on the same compound in what was an otherwise quiet session for the World Champion.

Max Verstappen, who headed out on track covered in flow-viz paint at the start of the session, finished in third place. His best time was a tenth off Hamilton's, and 0.4 away from Bottas, and the Dutch driver was vocal on team radio about being unhappy with the handling of his Red Bull. Sergio Perez finished in fourth in the second Red Bull, three tenths away from what Verstappen managed. The Mexican picked up a fine during the session for speeding in the pitlane as he went out on track at the green light.

Celebrating his new contract with the team, Alpine's Esteban Ocon finished in fifth place, with McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo in seventh ahead of the other Alpine of Fernando Alonso. AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly was eighth, with Lando Norris in ninth for McLaren and AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top ten. Despite the warm and sunny conditions, there were plenty of off-track moments for many of the drivers. With crosswinds seeming to catch several out, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel both had huge offs at De Beausset, with Vettel ending up hitting the barriers backwards and needing to return to the pits for rear wing repairs. Haas' Mick Schumacher spun off on his very first lap out of the pits, needing to come back into the pits for checks after hitting the right front against the barriers. Yuki Tsunoda was another spinner, losing the rear of his car as he accelerated out of the final corner to start a hotlap. Fortunately, he didn't damage the car and was able to continue.

Results (Classification):

  1. Valtteri Bottas Mercedes – 1:33.448
  2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.335
  3. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.432
  4. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.745
  5. Esteban Ocon Alpine +0.881
  6. Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +1.196
  7. Fernando Alonso Alpine +1.245
  8. Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri +1.251
  9. Lando Norris McLaren +1.259
  10. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +1.399
  11. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +1.502
  12. Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo +1.668
  13. Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo +1.687
  14. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.827
  15. Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin +1.841
  16. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +1.894
  17. Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing +2.164
  18. Nikita Mazepin Haas +3.203
  19. Mick Schumacher Haas +3.881
  20. Roy Nissany Williams Racing +4.433
 

Verstappen just faster than Mercedes in practice two​

French Grand Prix – Max Verstappen finished the second free practice session ahead of the Mercedes cars but only by a few thousandths. Verstappen’s 1:32.872 came just before drivers started on their long-run practice and put him 0.008 seconds ahead of the quickest man in FP1 and early FP2 pace-setter, Valtteri Bottas. However Bottas’ best time was set on the medium tyre compared to the Dutchman’s which was done on the softs.

As the Finn did during the morning, Verstappen fell foul of the yellow kerbs and lost part of his front wing which led to a brief Virtual Safety Car, the only of the session, to allow a marshal to retrieve the piece of carbon fibre. Red Bull, like Mercedes earlier, contacted Michael Masi about the kerbs and the amount of damage they can cause. While the Race Director said the kerbs are the same as they were in 2019, and that people had been asking for physical track limits, but did say he would review them this evening.

Lewis Hamilton wasn’t overly happy with his car, saying that something didn’t feel right with it during the practice hour, and his best time saw him 0.253 seconds off the top of the timesheet. Fernando Alonso slotted into fourth with a very strong 1:33.340 lap in his Alpine. It was a better session for Ferrari with cars in the top ten, Charles Leclerc in fifth 0.678 seconds behind Verstappen while Carlos Sainz was a tenth and a half slower in eighth. The two Frenchmen in the field separated the Ferraris, Esteban Ocon’s 1:33.685 leaving him sixth for Alpine with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly eleven hundredths off in seventh.

Alfa Romeo finished in ninth with a lap from Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn putting in a 1:33.786, less than a second behind the Red Bull while Lando Norris rounded out the top ten for McLaren. After ending FP1 in fourth, Sergio Perez’s best during the afternoon was just over a second off and only enough to see him twelfth.

Results:
  1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing – 1:32.872
  2. Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +0.008
  3. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.253
  4. Fernando Alonso Alpine +0.468
  5. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.678
  6. Esteban Ocon Alpine +0.813
  7. Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri +0.824
  8. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.826
  9. Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo +0.914
  10. Lando Norris McLaren +0.950
  11. Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo +0.959
  12. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +1.049
  13. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +1.083
  14. Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +1.207
  15. Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin +1.575
  16. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.760
  17. George Russell Williams Racing +2.394
  18. Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing +2.459
  19. Mick Schumacher Haas +2.640
  20. Nikita Mazepin Haas +2.679
 

Verstappen fastest by 0.7s in final practice​

No cars appeared on track for the first 10 minutes of the one-hour session, which took place in overcast and cooler conditions compared to the opening running on Friday. The Haas pair Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher eventually became the first drivers to head out, soon followed by another pack of drivers, with all the teams eschewing running the medium tyres, which will likely be critical for Q2 and the race's opening stint, during the early stages and sending their cars out on the softs from the off (except Aston Martin which initially fitted the hards to Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll).

As the first car to set a time, Mazepin duly established the P1 benchmark at 1m34.966s just before the opening quarter came to a close, which stood as the fastest time for a few minutes until Sergio Perez put in a 1m33.775s a few minutes later. Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso then cycled to the front, with the latter posting a 1m33.206s that remained fastest for nearly 10 minutes – until the Mercedes drivers and Verstappen appeared for the first time. Hamilton led the trio around and took the top spot with a 1m33.107s, but behind him Bottas set then fastest times in all three sectors to go faster still on a 1m32.346s.

Verstappen, following a few moments behind, took first place with a 1m32.337s, which he called a "pretty shit lap" that featured a small lock-up at the Turn 12 tight left and then fastest time in the third sector. While Hamilton pitted, Bottas and Verstappen went for a second go on their first set of softs, with the later moving back into first place on a 1m32.309s – despite losing time in the middle sector. Verstappen then put in a 1m32.024s, with purple sectors in the final two thirds of the lap, but this time was deleted as he had run fractionally too wide exiting Turn 6, which as of the start of FP3 is now being policed by the FIA for track limits, with any driver losing a time if they put all four wheels beyond the white line on the left of the circuit as they swing back towards the Turn 7 fast left and the start of the Mistral Straight.

Just before the 45-minute mark, Bottas improved the top spot time to a 1m32.047s, with Hamilton following him around and moving up to second 0.219s slower than his teammate. But just after Carlos Sainz and Perez slotted in ahead of the world champion a few minutes later, Verstappen recorded a lap that opened a significant gap to Mercedes. The Red Bull driver set the session's best times in the second and third sector as he produced a 1m31.300s that put him 0.747s clear of Bottas, after which Verstappen came into the pits with nearly 10 minutes of the session remaining and climbed out of his car. Sainz's 1m32.195s remained good enough to hold third behind the two drivers that have led all three practice sessions between them this weekend, with Charles Leclerc down in P11 after having to catch a big oversteer snap exiting Turn 12 on his best lap in the closing stages.

Perez and Hamilton were followed by Lando Norris, who finished sixth for McLaren, ahead of the Alpine pair led by Alonso. Pierre Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top 10 for AlphaTauri and McLaren respectively. Other drivers to have times deleted for running too wide at Turn 6 included Yuki Tsunoda (P17 in the second AlphaTauri) and Mazepin, who also had a half-spin after losing the rear of his car running through the Turn 2 right just before the 20-minute mark. Mazepin brought up the rear of the field, behind Schumacher and Williams driver Nicholas Latifi.
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