Verstappen second fastest at the final free practice Hungaroring

Published on 31 July 2021 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen came in second fastest at the final free practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman lapped the 4,381 kilometer long track thirteen times with a 1:16.914 being his fastest lap time. Lewis Hamilton topped the board on behalf of Mercedes with a 1:16.826. Team mate Valtteri Bottas completed the top three.

The temperature has climbed to twenty-seven degrees when final free practice gets underway. Haas-driver Nikita Mazepin is the first one out on the tarmac. Max Verstappen makes to the track after some twenty minutes on a set of the softs. The Dutchman clocks a 1:17.510 on his first timed lap before entering the pit lane for a practice start. When the batteries in his RB16B have been charged up, Verstappen gives it another go but this attempt doesn’t lead to any improvement at all.

Halfway the session, Valtteri Bottas is leading the pack with a 1:17.428. Max Verstappen (+0.082), Lewis Hamilton (+0.776), Sergio Pérez (+0.819), Carlos Sainz (+1.404) and Charles Leclerc (+1.473) are at that moment the top six, noting that only the Ferraris are the only ones to have done their times on the medium compound tyre.

After that a relatively calm period follows, until Mick Schumacher runs into the tyre wall, exiting Turn eleven, fifteen minutes before time. The German lost the rear of his Haas turning in for the corner, after which he slid off course and impacted the tyre wall from the side. Schumacher is able to walk away unscathed but the damage to his Haas is quite substantial. Race Control decides to temporarily stop the session.

With still ten minutes to go, the lights turn green again at the end of the pit lane and the teams get back to the order of the day. Verstappen manages to improve his time in the closing stages to a 1:16.914 and comes in second fastest. Hamilton is a tad bit faster by a tenth and finishes the session at the top of the board. Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris round out the top six.

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Results third free practice Hungary: