Hungarian Grand Prix: Hamilton Tops FP3 Ahead of Verstappen After Schumacher Crashes Out

With hours left for qualifying, F1 drivers took part in the final practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix. While most drivers performed qualifying simulations, Red Bull and Mercedes continued their battle at the top of the timesheets.

With Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen locked in an intense battle, the Briton topped the timesheets for this session. However, a red flag caused by Mick Schumacher marred the progress of the session. Despite that, his crash only caused a six-minute delay as drivers looked to find their best strategy for qualifying.

Hamilton puts in an exquisite lap to top FP3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix

After the events of Silverstone, Hamilton claimed supremacy over Verstappen in the session with a stunning sub-77 second lap. Championship leader Verstappen, who looks to bounce back after Silverstone, finished just 0.08s behind in P2.

While his future in F1 hangs in the balance, Bottas seized his opportunity to shine in the session. On the soft compound tire, the Finn put in an excellent lap to finish P3 in the session. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, on the other hand, struggled for a brief period in the session and ultimately finished P7.

Ferrari and McLaren set to have a close battle in Hungary

Former teammates Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris engaged in a battle of their own on the timesheets. While Norris put in an impressive lap to take P6, Sainz put his Ferrari an impressive P4 on the timesheets.

Ferrari looked the better of the two teams as Charles Leclerc finished an impressive P5. However, Daniel Ricciardo didn’t finish far behind those three drivers as he took P8. Pierre Gasly marked AlphaTauri’s credentials with an impressive P11 on medium tires.

The session provided its fair share of drama towards the end of the session. While Mick Schumacher‘s crash brought out the only red flag of the session, Antonio Giovinazzi clipped Lance Stroll‘s tire in the pit lane. This incident will be investigated by the stewards after the session, with the Italian likely to take a grid penalty.

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