FP3: Max blitzes rivals, ‘no bouncing’ Merc join the party

Max Verstappen went from Red Bull wondering overnight if they were heading in the wrong direction to leading the way, almost half a second up on his nearest non-Red Bull rival in FP3 for the British Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver laid down a 1:27.901 to beat Sergio Perez by four tenths of a second, with Charles Leclerc a further 0.037s off the pace.

But perhaps the highlight of the session, at least for the British fans, was the news from the Mercedes camp of “no bouncing” as reported by George Russell. Carlos Sainz could not say the same.

Verstappen puts in a solid 1:27:901, the fastest time of the weekend so far #BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/buFx24jWMS

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 2, 2022

Final practice at the British Grand Prix took place on a dry track with heavy grey skies overhead, the track 10 degrees cooler than in FP2 and the gusts “30kph” as Aston Martin informed Lance Stroll.

Alpine, after Friday’s bouncing, were first out with Esteban Ocon ahead of Fernando Alonso. The 1-2 though was short-lived as McLaren hit the front, also 1-2, then Ferrari took over at the top, Charles Leclerc putting in a 1:29.4 to edge Carlos Sainz by 0.3s.

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What were initially thought to be problems at Haas for Kevin Magnussen turned out to be nothing more than a set-up change, the Dane soon joining his team-mate Mick Schumacher on track.

Back at the front, Leclerc upped