Mercedes F1 star George Russell topped the timesheets during FP3 at the Barcelona Grand Prix this weekend as Kimi Antonelli struggled with traffic on track.
After seven full-time drivers including Antonelli stepped aside to hand their machinery over to rookies for during FP1 on Friday, all 22 stars of the grid returned to the track to get valuable track time in ahead of Saturday's qualifying.
Russell took the opportunity to make a statement in the final hour of practice having lost P2 in the drivers' championship to Lewis Hamilton last time out in Monaco.
The 28-year-old is in desperate need of a win this weekend to bring the fight to Antonelli for the 2026 drivers' title and so far in Barcelona, the Brit has had the edge over Antonelli.
The 19-year-old was audibly rattled by traffic on track during FP3 complaining over team radio to race engineer Bono before the FIA noted him for driving erratically. The stewards will investigate the incident after the session.
Antonelli finished the session down in P7 with Oscar Piastri once again showing McLaren may have potential this weekend after finishing second-fastest.
Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Hamilton rounded out the top five in FP3 which was briefly red-flagged thanks to Valtteri Bottas crashing out on the exit of Turn 11 with just over 25 minutes to go having found the gravel in what was the latest wobble in a difficult maiden year for the Finn with new squad Cadillac.
Bottas took to team radio to say he’d lost his brake pedal completely prior to the incident.
READ MORE: Alonso shocks with 'probably last race' announcement at Barcelona Grand Prix
Barcelona Grand Prix FP3 times
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:15.679 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.214 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.243 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.246 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.702 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.755 |
| 7 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.821 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1.005 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.282 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.341 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.348 |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.645 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.904 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.946 |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2.051 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +2.361 |
| 17 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +2.712 |
| 18 | Alex Albon | Williams | +2.733 |
| 19 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +3.012 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +3.817 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +4.283 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +4.424 |
Is there F1 today?
Yes, following the final hour of practice, qualifying for the Barcelona GP will take place on Saturday, June 13 at 4pm local time (CEST) which is 3pm BST.
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