FP3: Leclerc edges Albon to top final practice in Silverstone

F1 Grand Prix, GP United Kingdom, Silverstone Circuit

After missing Free Practice 2 due to a technical problem, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc bounced back in the third and final practice session to set the benchmark with a time of 1m27.419s. F1Technical's senior writer Balázs Szabó reports on the final Silverstone practice session.

Following a warm and dry opening day at Silverstone, wet conditions greeted the drivers as they returned to the track ahead of the FP3 hour, with temperatures dropping overnight and dark clouds hovering above.

With rain having been expected to arrive during the season, drivers were in a rush to kick off their final preparation ahead of the important afternoon’s qualifying session.

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc was sidelined with an electrical issue for the entirety of yesterday’s second practice, but it did not prevent him to set the benchmark today with the fastest time of the weekend.

His team mate Carlos Sainz ended up sixth quickest half a second adrift of the Monegasque’s quickest lap.

Williams drivers continued to impress with their outright performance as Alexander Albon took second only just under two tenth of a second adrift of Leclerc. His American team mate Logan Sargeant set the 7th quickest time.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished the one-hour session in P3 while his team mate Lance Stroll did not manage to set a competitive lap in the best conditions and ended up 13th fastest.

Mercedes had a much more encouraging session as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell took 5th and 9th respectively. Both drivers appeared to struggle for one-lap pace yesterday on the soft compound, having constantly complaining about the lack of rear grip. However, both Hamilton and Russell looked to enjoy the cooler conditions and the setup changes on their W14.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen was eighth-fastest but only ran on the medium tyres before rain hit in the final half an hour. His team mate Sergio Perez ended up down in P14, but he did not use the soft tyres either as he concentrated on heavy fuel run before the rain hit the track.

McLaren had a troublesome session as Lando Norris finished down in 12th. The Briton had an early incident that saw him stop at the end of the pit lane and then get helped on his way by a mechanic – the stewards set to investigate post-session. His team mate Oscar Piastri displayed great pace yesterday, but he ended up 17th fastest in the final practice.

Alfa Romeo sat out the early stages of the session, meaning they missed the best of the weather conditions. The team’s Finn driver Valtteri Bottas eventually emerged to complete a solid number of laps, but his best effort put him in P18. However, his team mate Zhou Guanyu was stuck in the pits amid apparent technical issues which prevented him from any running.