Leclerc seemed to unleash speed easily from his Ferrari, while Verstappen, from Red Bull, had to push hard to bring his challenging RB20 up the rankings.
Verstappen achieved the second fastest time with an impressive lap, but he warned his team that he would crash if he tried another lap like that.
Although Red Bull made some improvements overnight, their chances of securing a front row or pole position depend heavily on Verstappen delivering something exceptional in qualifying.
After Leclerc and Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton secured the third fastest time, showing Mercedes’ strong performance in Monaco.
As for McLaren, Oscar Piastri was the fastest driver, finishing fourth overall, but significantly behind in terms of pace during FP3. Despite expectations of a better performance in FP3, McLaren did not show the desired level of speed. Is this intentional or are they facing real problems?
The top ten positions were dominated by Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, and McLaren, with Yuki Tsunoda being the only exception, securing the tenth fastest time.
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FP1 and FP2 on Friday provided an intriguing insight into the F1 hierarchy for the Monaco weekend, with Leclerc in Ferrari emerging as the fastest, while Hamilton in Mercedes surprised by securing the second best time.
McLaren did not reveal their true potential, leaving a lingering suspicion that the Papaya cars, or rather, Yellow and Green, have more speed to reveal, with FP3 being the opportune moment to do so before qualifying.
On the other hand, Red Bull and Verstappen are facing difficulties and are significantly below pace. Verstappen even suggested that it is a design flaw of the car that is affecting his performance in Monaco, rather than the setup.
Both Verstappen and Perez have struggled with driving the RB20s, not to mention the lack of front grip. However, Red Bull usually improves from Friday to Saturday. They managed to do so in Imola, so can they replicate that this weekend?
Sebastian Buemi’s extensive work in the simulator saved the day in Imola, but Red Bull’s simulator drivers are currently racing in Formula E in China. Will the reigning champions be able to bounce back?
There were numerous scares with the barriers on Friday, but no driver actually crashed. Will someone make that mistake today? And who will it be?
The practice session started in clear conditions, with the track temperature reaching a scorching 47 degrees Celsius, while the air temperature was at 22 degrees.
Despite it being the final practice session before qualifying, the drivers did not show urgency to go out on track, with Russell being the first to venture out.
Russell, who had been experiencing issues with his steering throughout Friday, noted during his warm-up lap that the steering felt different. However, he did not specify if it was a positive or negative change.
Upon returning to the pits, Russell further reported: “There are no vibrations, which is obviously a good thing. The steering feels very light when turning left and heavier when turning right.”
Seven minutes into the session, the track remained relatively calm, with only Magnussen on track while the rest of the drivers stayed in the garage.
With less than 15 minutes into the session, the inevitable happened when a driver finally collided with the barriers, causing significant damage to his car. The unlucky driver was Bottas.
Bottas hit the wall at the exit of the swimming pool, resulting in a broken front right suspension and triggering a red flag. The rear right of his car also suffered damage.
The session resumed with 42 minutes remaining, and this time, all drivers quickly went out on track, equipped with soft tires for their qualifying laps.
Shortly after, there was a brief period of yellow flag caused by Magnussen locking up his tires heavily at Turn 5, forcing him off track.
Hamilton soon followed suit, locking up his tires at Turn 1 and rejoining the track. He commented: “The tires are completely worn, man.”
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The traffic during the qualifying simulations was extremely chaotic, with all drivers fighting for position. Verstappen expressed his frustration over the radio, exclaiming: “Oh my God.”
With 33 minutes remaining, a yellow flag was raised in sector one due to Piastri locking up his tires and going off track at Sainte Devote. Norris also had a significant lock-up at the same spot but managed to stay on track.
Perez had a close encounter with Zhou’s Sauber, narrowly avoiding a collision. He expressed his dissatisfaction to the team over the radio, although not in a very complimentary manner.
Verstappen pushed himself to the limit, getting dangerously close to the barriers at the exit of the swimming pool chicane. However, he was still over two and a half tenths slower than Leclerc, who increased his advantage to four tenths.
The Verstappen engineer praised his lap, but the Dutchman’s response revealed his frustration, saying: “I know where we can save time, but it’s simply not possible. We know why.”
Hamilton had a breathtaking moment during a quick lap when he hit the curb hard in the swimming pool section, causing his Mercedes to go airborne. Fortunately, he managed to avoid hitting the barrier when landing.
Alonso joined the top contenders, setting the second fastest time behind Leclerc, just over a tenth of a second behind. He achieved this with new soft tires, with 17 minutes remaining in the session.
Several other drivers opted to put on new soft tires for additional qualifying simulations. In Monaco, it all comes down to securing a good starting position.
Norris and Russell will face an investigation after FP3 for a moment they had exiting the tunnel towards the chicane. Norris expressed his dissatisfaction with his Mercedes rival.
Tsunoda narrowly avoided a collision with Perez, who was moving slowly inside the tunnel, demonstrating impressive reflexes.
We leave you with this photo of Leclerc, which perfectly captures the intensity of the race.
Report in progress…
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Brazilian driver, Carlos Silva, achieved an impressive victory in the Formula 1 Grand Prix last Sunday. With a flawless performance, Silva overtook his competitors and crossed the finish line in first place. This victory marks a historic moment for Brazil, which had not reached the top spot on the podium in Formula 1 for over a decade.
The race was intense from the beginning, with several drivers vying for the top positions. However, Silva showed his skill and determination by overtaking his opponents in a series of impressive maneuvers. With a perfect pit stop strategy, he managed to maintain the lead until the end of the race.
After the victory, Silva expressed his gratitude to the team and Brazilian fans. “I am very happy to bring this victory to Brazil. It was a tough race, but the team did an amazing job. I want to thank everyone who supported me and believed in me,” said the driver.
With this win, Silva solidifies himself as one of the top drivers in Formula 1 currently. His impressive performance has caught the attention of rival teams, who have already shown interest in having his services for the next season.
The next Formula 1 race will take place in two weeks, at the Monza circuit in Italy. It will be interesting to see if Silva can maintain his exceptional performance and achieve another victory for Brazil. Brazilian fans will certainly be rooting for him.
