Hungary – Free Practice 3: Masterful Rehearsal for Hamilton and Rosberg Ahead of Qualifying

26°C in the air and 44°C on the track, optimal conditions for this final practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Preparing for the qualifying session is on the agenda. A good position on the grid could prove crucial for the race, on a circuit with characteristics similar to Monaco.

At the green light, Adrian Sutil’s power unit breaks the silence of the Hungarian paddock. At the end of the pit lane, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel are performing a practice start. Nico Rosberg, Kevin Magnussen, and Lewis Hamilton are also doing the same. First time for Kamui Kobayashi, at 1:36.947, quickly beaten by his teammate at 1:32.616. On medium tires, Rosberg brings the mark down to 1:26.374. Hamilton complains about his brakes on the radio. Guilty of multiple wheel lock-ups, he’s only sixth, more than two seconds behind his teammate. Is he driving in race conditions? That might explain his slowness at the start of the session.

After 20 minutes, Rosberg sits at the top of the standings with a 1:26.292, half a second ahead of Valtteri Bottas and seven-tenths ahead of Kevin Magnussen. Vettel is within a tenth of Nico Rosberg. Felipe Massa’s Williams is running very close to the ground, its undercarriage scraping the track. The Mercedes cars go through the pits. The condition of the medium tires is impeccable after twenty minutes of running. Promising for the race.

Bottas takes advantage to set the smooth time of 1:26.240, then improves to 1:26.094. Just a whisker away from Daniel Ricciardo, leading with a time of 1:25.999. Quiet until then, Fernando Alonso sets the best time, a whisker ahead of Ricciardo, at 1:25.954.

After 40 minutes, no driver has yet switched to the soft tires. On mediums, Lewis Hamilton takes the lead with a 1:25.682, more than two-tenths ahead of Alonso and Ricciardo. Some large gray clouds make their appearance above the Hungarian circuit as nothing changes on track.

Finally, at ten minutes to the end of the session, the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen leave the pits fitted with soft tires. Substantial improvement for Alonso despite a poor first sector, with a time of 1:24.769. His teammate is very close, within less than a tenth. Rosberg charges ahead by setting the record in the first and second sectors. 1:24.501 for the Mercedes no.6, despite an error in turn 12.

Now it’s Hamilton’s turn to string together records in all sectors, except the last one, at 1:24.048! Rosberg cuts the gap but remains more than two-tenths behind his teammate, with his tires now worn. On his third flying lap, he registers a 1:24.095.