Red Bull Racing’s star driver, Max Verstappen, laid down a formidable marker heading into qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. In the crucial third and final practice session (FP3), Verstappen outpaced his closest Mercedes rivals by a significant margin of over half a second, firmly establishing his car as the benchmark at the Red Bull Ring.
The FP3 session at Spielberg is often the last opportunity for teams to fine-tune their setups before the intensity of qualifying begins. For many, this hour-long run provides invaluable data on car balance, tyre degradation, and ultimate one-lap pace. With the championship battle between Red Bull and Mercedes heating up, every millisecond gained on track carries immense importance, and Verstappen’s performance certainly sent a clear message to his competitors.
For the initial phase of Saturday’s practice, Verstappen remained in the garage, a tactical move that allowed his team to observe competitors while optimizing their own strategy. During this period, several teams and drivers utilized Pirelli’s prototype rear construction for the C4 compound tyre. This experimental variant was being evaluated for the final time before its anticipated race debut at the British Grand Prix later in the month, providing crucial data for future tyre development and race strategies.
Once the initial prototype tyre runs were completed and teams transitioned to their preferred race compounds, Verstappen finally emerged from the pits. Displaying immediate pace and precision, he wasted no time in rocketing to the top of the timing sheets. With several subsequent improvements throughout his run, he ultimately concluded the session with an impressive best lap of 1 minute 04.591 seconds, a time that underscored his and Red Bull’s dominant form.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team’s defending champion, Lewis Hamilton, made concerted efforts to match Verstappen’s blistering pace, at one point closing the gap to within a tenth of a second. However, his fastest lap time was unfortunately deleted due to a track limits violation, highlighting the challenging nature of the Red Bull Ring’s circuit boundaries. Ultimately, it was his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who secured second place in the session, showcasing Mercedes’ continued presence at the sharp end despite Verstappen’s commanding lead.
Just a mere 0.003 seconds behind Hamilton’s deleted lap time, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly delivered an outstanding performance, finishing third. Gasly’s consistent speed for the Honda-powered team continues to impress, demonstrating AlphaTauri’s strong package and his ability to extract maximum performance. His presence in the top three underscored the competitiveness of the midfield, particularly as teams geared up for the intense qualifying battle.
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN’s Antonio Giovinazzi made a significant impact by going fifth fastest. After substantial running on the C4 compound, utilizing both prototype and nominated rear tyres, Giovinazzi switched to the softer C5 tyres, extracting impressive pace. This strategic tyre management propelled him to become the fastest Ferrari-powered driver in the session, edging out his counterparts by a slim 0.002 seconds and providing a much-needed boost for Alfa Romeo.
Carlos Sainz Jnr secured sixth place for Ferrari, demonstrating solid pace for the Scuderia. He finished just ahead of Red Bull’s second driver, Sergio Perez, who, like many, focused his early session on gathering data on the C4 tyres before making a late switch to the softer C5 compound. This tactical approach allowed Perez to evaluate various tyre specifications, crucial for developing an optimal strategy for qualifying and the race.
Alpine’s veteran driver, Fernando Alonso, continued to show strong form by finishing eighth quickest, underlining the progress made by the French team. Ferrari’s other driver, Charles Leclerc, rounded out the top nine. Both drivers, along with their teams, are keenly aware of the importance of extracting every ounce of performance in this competitive midfield, especially as they contend for valuable points.
Leclerc was among several drivers who experienced off-track moments during the session, leading to the deletion of their lap times. These incidents highlighted the fine margins and unforgiving nature of the Red Bull Ring. The most dramatic moment saw Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri execute a half-spin while exiting turn nine. McLaren’s Lando Norris ploughed through the grass just a corner later, while Haas driver Nikita Mazepin ventured through the gravel at turn five, fortunately avoiding any significant damage. Such excursions serve as a stark reminder of the precision required on this challenging circuit.
With FP3 concluded, all eyes now turn to the critical qualifying session. Max Verstappen’s commanding performance certainly positions Red Bull as the team to beat, but Mercedes, with Valtteri Bottas showing competitive pace and Lewis Hamilton eager to rebound from his deleted lap, will undoubtedly mount a strong challenge. The midfield battle is also poised for excitement, with AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo, and Ferrari all demonstrating potential for high grid positions. The varied tyre strategies observed in FP3 suggest a dynamic qualifying session where tyre choice and track limits will be paramount.
2021 Austrian Grand Prix Final Practice Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Best lap | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda | 1’04.591 | 15 | |
| 2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1’05.129 | 0.538 | 22 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’05.277 | 0.686 | 20 |
| 4 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1’05.280 | 0.689 | 27 |
| 5 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’05.345 | 0.754 | 27 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 1’05.347 | 0.756 | 29 |
| 7 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda | 1’05.396 | 0.805 | 20 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 1’05.434 | 0.843 | 23 |
| 9 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’05.484 | 0.893 | 35 |
| 10 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’05.542 | 0.951 | 22 |
| 11 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’05.546 | 0.955 | 19 |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1’05.561 | 0.970 | 23 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1’05.674 | 1.083 | 22 |
| 14 | 63 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1’05.694 | 1.103 | 23 |
| 15 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’05.700 | 1.109 | 23 |
| 16 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’05.725 | 1.134 | 21 |
| 17 | 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’05.747 | 1.156 | 31 |
| 18 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | 1’06.078 | 1.487 | 26 |
| 19 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1’06.105 | 1.514 | 17 |
| 20 | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas-Ferrari | 1’06.289 | 1.698 | 28 |
Combined Practice Performance: Austrian Grand Prix
This table provides a comprehensive overview of each driver’s best lap times across all three practice sessions (FP1, FP2, FP3) at the Austrian Grand Prix, along with their cumulative lap count for the weekend. The ‘Fri/Sat diff’ column indicates the difference between their fastest lap on Friday and their best time in Saturday’s FP3 session, offering insight into their weekend-long progression and the impact of track evolution and setup changes. Bold times denote the fastest lap achieved by that driver across any given session.
| Pos | Driver | Car | FP1 | FP2 | FP3 | Fri/Sat diff | Total laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’05.709 | 1’04.523 | 1’05.277 | +0.754 | 81 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda | 1’05.143 | 1’04.740 | 1’04.591 | -0.149 | 85 |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1’05.445 | 1’04.712 | 1’05.129 | +0.417 | 85 |
| 4 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’06.203 | 1’05.139 | 1’05.546 | +0.407 | 80 |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’06.444 | 1’05.268 | 1’05.542 | +0.274 | 86 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1’05.726 | 1’05.379 | 1’05.280 | -0.099 | 100 |
| 7 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’05.511 | 1’05.345 | -0.166 | 59 | |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 1’05.431 | 1’05.620 | 1’05.347 | -0.084 | 98 |
| 9 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1’05.474 | 1’05.356 | 1’05.561 | +0.205 | 94 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 1’05.393 | 1’05.434 | +0.041 | 57 | |
| 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda | 1’05.726 | 1’05.516 | 1’05.396 | -0.12 | 88 |
| 12 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’05.409 | 1’05.708 | 1’05.484 | +0.075 | 100 |
| 13 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’05.880 | 1’05.466 | 1’05.700 | +0.234 | 83 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1’05.980 | 1’05.527 | 1’05.674 | +0.147 | 86 |
| 15 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’05.586 | 1’05.624 | 1’05.747 | +0.161 | 91 |
| 16 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1’05.819 | 1’05.694 | -0.125 | 59 | |
| 17 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’06.181 | 1’05.698 | 1’05.725 | +0.027 | 82 |
| 18 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | 1’06.583 | 1’05.911 | 1’06.078 | +0.167 | 89 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1’06.978 | 1’06.014 | 1’06.105 | +0.091 | 89 |
| 20 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas-Ferrari | 1’07.316 | 1’06.173 | 1’06.289 | +0.116 | 92 |
| 21 | Guanyu Zhou | Alpine-Renault | 1’06.414 | 28 | |||
| 22 | Callum Ilott | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’06.564 | 23 | |||
| 23 | Roy Nissany | Williams-Mercedes | 1’06.683 | 33 |
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