Max Verstappen 5th in final free practice Austria

Published on 08 July 2017 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen finished fifth in the third and final free practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutchman lapped the circuit with no issues 23 times and clocked a 1:05.784. Sebastian Vettel topped the leaderboard in his Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton came in second but had to deal with brake issues at the end of the session. It was also announced that the Brit will take a five-place grid penalty due to a gear box change.

Under a bright shiny sun, the third free practice on the Red Bull Ring gets underway. At the beginning of the session, Carlos Sainz comes to a standstill in his Toro Rosso, immediately after leaving the pits. The Spaniard tries to get his engine going, but to no avail.

When the stricken Toro Rosso is retrieved, Max Verstappen gets on track on the ultra-soft compound tyres. The Dutchman does a 1:06.387 and then a 1:06.015, putting him immediately on top. After a run of seven laps, Max returns back to the Red Bull Racing-garage.

Half way the session, Verstappen gets on track for a long run on the ultras as preparation for the race. Max is doing consistent laps in the one minute nine’s, and is told by his engineer on the radio: “Your pace and tyre control are ok”.

In the closing stages of the practice, Lewis Hamilton misses turn three. The Brit is able to continue on, but has to make his way back to the pits very slowly. Max is back on track at that moment, and betters his time to a 1:05.784, earning him P5. Sebastian Vettel is the fastest man on track during this session and snatches the lap time record on the Red Bull Ring with a 1:05.092. Hamilton and Bottas come home in second and third in their Mercedes.

Qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix will take place at 14:00 hrs.

Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring – Saturday 8 July

RESULTS FREE PRACTICE THREE

01  5 Sebastian Vettel    Ferrari                     1:05.092          18
02 44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes                    1:05.361 +0.269s  21
03 77 Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes                    1:05.515 +0.423s  19
04  7 Kimi Räikkönen      Ferrari                     1:05.611 +0.519s  19
05 33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:05.784 +0.692s  24
06  3 Daniel Ricciardo    Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:05.896 +0.804s  29
07 20 Kevin Magnussen     Haas Ferrari                1:05.936 +0.844s  21
08  8 Romain Grosjean     Haas Ferrari                1:06.015 +0.923s  22
09 26 Daniil Kvyat        Toro Rosso                  1:06.279 +1.187s  28
10 55 Carlos Sainz        Toro Rosso                  1:06.284 +1.192s  19
11 31 Esteban Ocon        Force India Mercedes        1:06.374 +1.282s  26
12 27 Nico Hulkenberg     Renault                     1:06.563 +1.471s  18
13  2 Stoffel Vandoorne   McLaren Honda               1:06.578 +1.486s  18
14 30 Jolyon Palmer       Renault                     1:06.595 +1.503s  22
15 14 Fernando Alonso     McLaren Honda               1:06.599 +1.507s  20
16 18 Lance Stroll        Williams Mercedes           1:06.776 +1.684s  22
17 19 Felipe Massa        Williams Mercedes           1:06.865 +1.773s  24
18 11 Sergio Perez        Force India Mercedes        1:06.875 +1.783s  28
19  9 Marcus Ericsson     Sauber Ferrari              1:07.378 +2.286s  21
20 94 Pascal Wehrlein     Sauber Ferrari              1:07.468 +2.376s  25

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