In the third practice session of the Japanese F1 Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the fastest time with a lap of 1 minute 29.563 seconds. His teammate Sergio Perez was second, 0.269 seconds behind, while Mercedes’ George Russell claimed third place. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu had a decent run, finishing 15th, but encountered an issue with his car towards the end of the session, with his fuel tank removed, suggesting a possible leak. This could pose a challenge for his qualifying efforts.
Right at the start of FP3, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton used soft tires to post a competitive time, initially topping the leaderboard, with Red Bull’s Verstappen and Perez in second and third positions respectively.
Later, AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo experienced another slide, echoing his struggles this season.
As several drivers were unable to test in FP2 due to rain, they had to make the most of FP3 for long-run evaluations. Midway through the session, drivers began their long-distance runs.
In the final ten minutes of the session, drivers started their single-lap pushes. At that point, both Mercedes drivers temporarily held the top two positions.
Ultimately, Verstappen and Perez from Red Bull secured the fastest laps under 1 minute 30 seconds, claiming first and second places, while Russell from Mercedes was the other driver to breach the 1-minute 30-second barrier. Zhou Guanyu missed out on a final flying lap due to his car issues.
Japanese F1 Grand Prix FP3: Verstappen quickest, Red Bull locks out front row!. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/speedy-f1/japanese-f1-grand-prix-fp3-verstappen-quickest-red-bull-locks-out-front-row.html
