Leclerc edges out Hamilton and Bottas: Austrian GP FP3 Results

Charles Leclerc was the fastest driver on the grid as the Ferrari driver edged out the Mercedes’ of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in the third practice session for the Austrian GP.

The Monegasque was fastest in FP2, also, but that session was interrupted by several crashes, involving Max Verstappen, Bottas, and Sebastian Vettel.

In a much cleaner outing at the Red Bull Ring, Leclerc took advantage of the straights to finish with the quickest time, in a track which appeared to suit his Ferrari.

He set a time of 1:03.987 which was a tenth faster than Hamilton in second.

Vettel and Verstappen recovered from their spins in FP2 to finish fourth and fifth, while Lando Norris managed to split the Red Bulls with Pierre Gasly in seventh. The Frenchman was dogged by engine issues and complained of a lack of power at points.

Carlos Sainz, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top 10.

Prior to FP3, it was confirmed that Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg, and Alexander Albon would receive grid penalties after the conclusion of qualifying.

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:03.987
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:04.130
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 1:04.221
4. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 1:04.250
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:04.446
6. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:04.986
7. Pierre Gasly (Red Bull) 1:05.152
8. Carlos Sainz (McLaren) 1:05.219
9. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) 1:05.336
10. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1:05.391
11. Alexander Albon (Toro Rosso) 1:05.481
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) 1:05.514
13. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1:05.514
14. Sergio Perez (Racing Point) 1:05.523
15. Romain Grosjean (Haas) 1:05.620
16. Lance Stroll (Racing Point) 1:05.650
17. Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) 1:05.878
18. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 1:06.017
19. George Russell (Williams) 1:06.676
20. Robert Kubica (Williams) 1:07.484

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