FP3: Leclerc stays ahead, Hamilton crashes off
The final practice session at Spa-Francorchamps before qualifying was dominated by Ferrari. The scarlet cars continued to lead the field, with Leclerc edging out Vettel by 0.451s.
As Ferrari continued to dominate this weekend's proceedings, Valtteri Bottas was closer than ever, leaving less than a tenth on the table compared to Vettel.
Bottas's team mate at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton ended up just 7th, as he crashed off and caused a 16-minute stoppage of the session. Hamilton lost the rear of his Mercedes W10 at the entry at Turn 12, sliding partly sideways into the barriers. Though Hamilton was unhurt, the impact caused considerable damage to the front and left hand side of his car, leaving his mechanics a lot of work to get the car sorted before qualifying.
Daniel Ricciardo was a surprise 4th in the standings, topping former team mate Max Verstappen into fifth in the Red Bull.
Sergio Perez ended up 6th, despite having switched back to the older specification Mercedes power unit in his Racing Point RP19. Raikkonen and Giovinazzi put Alfa well into the top ten, with them indeed powered by new Ferrari engines, while the Scuderia opted not to fit them this race, and instead introduce them at Monza.
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:44.206 | - | 9 |
| 2 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:44.657 | +0.451s | 12 |
| 3 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:44.703 | +0.497s | 11 |
| 4 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:44.974 | +0.768s | 10 |
| 5 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:45.312 | +1.106s | 11 |
| 6 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point Bwt Mercedes | 1:45.521 | +1.315s | 12 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:45.566 | +1.360s | 4 |
| 8 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:45.659 | +1.453s | 13 |
| 9 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:45.688 | +1.482s | 13 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:45.752 | +1.546s | 15 |
| 11 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 1:45.806 | +1.600s | 15 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1:45.855 | +1.649s | 11 |
| 13 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:46.004 | +1.798s | 15 |
| 14 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 1:46.017 | +1.811s | 14 |
| 15 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 1:46.270 | +2.064s | 13 |
| 16 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point Bwt Mercedes | 1:46.379 | +2.173s | 11 |
| 17 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:46.642 | +2.436s | 13 |
| 18 | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 1:47.858 | +3.652s | 14 |
| 19 | 88 | Robert Kubica | Williams Mercedes | 1:48.350 | +4.144s | 14 |
| 20 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:50.681 | +6.475s | 14 |
