Max fifth in final Austria practice

Published on 30 June 2018 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen finished the final practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix in fifth. After completing 14 laps, his fastest effort eight tenths slower than pace setter Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), the power-unit in Max’ RB14 shut down, ending his session prematurely. The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas completed the top three. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth.

At the start of the session, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen is the first driver to clock a time. Max is the last driver to hit the track; it is not until 25 minutes into the hour-long session that the Dutchman heads out.

After a couple of flying laps, Max hits the gravel at turn 4 on his next timed lap. Via a small lane he is able to get back on track and resume his session.

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Brendan Hartley has bigger issues after he smashes his front wing on the kerbstones at turn 9.

Meanwhile, Max keeps chipping away at his lap times, continuously improving. With fifteen minutes to go, he heads out on a new set of the ultra-soft Pirellis. Unfortunately, Max is unable to extract the most of the fresh rubber when his power-unit suddenly switches off. It means the Dutchman finishes FP3 in fifth, behind Vettel, Hamilton, Bottas and Ricciardo.

Enter our Austrian Grand Prix contest with a chance to win a Red Bull teamline Polo Shirt

Results third free practice Austria: