Results Third Free Practice 2023 Canadian F1 Grand Prix

Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in dominant style at a wet final practice session in Montreal, as the Red Bull driver set the pace ahead of Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso in preparation for qualifying later today. Following a mostly dry day of running on Friday, the drivers were greeted with a wet track as heavy rain continued to fall in the area. This meant the teams opted to fit their cars with extreme wet tyres in the early stages of the session. PRACTICE DEBRIEF: What we learned from the disrupted Friday running in Canada However, after 10 minutes of running, the drivers began to make the switch to the intermediates, as the teams investigated the crossover point for the tyres in conditions they are likely to face in qualifying later on. As the times began to pour in on the intermediates, it was Verstappen and the Ferraris who swapped fastest laps, with the Dutch driver eventually going quickest by over two and half tenths to Carlos Sainz, with a time of 1m 24.480s. FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2023 Practice 3 results POSITION TIME 1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing 1:23.106 2 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.291s 3 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +1.377s 4 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team +1.609s 5 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +1.659s VIEW FULL RESULTS But it was soon to be bad news for Sainz, who spun into the barrier at Turn 1, heavily damaging both the front and rear of the SF23 and bringing out the red flags. In doing so he left his mechanics with a hefty repair job ahead of qualifying. Once the session resumed Verstappen continued to set the timesheets alight setting the fastest time of 1m 23.106s on the inters, to lead Leclerc, in second, by 0.291s. TIMELINE: The 50-year history of the Safety Car's evolution in Formula 1 Alonso was third quickest although the Aston Martin driver was over a second off the pace of Verstappen, but he was ahead of the impressive Haas of Kevin Magnussen in fourth, while Sainz’s time was still good enough to see him round out the top five. Pierre Gasly was sixth fastest for Alpine, ahead of the home favourite Lance Stroll and the AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda – who escaped colliding with barriers on two occasions after spinning on track during the session. Valtteri Bottas, in ninth, also displayed incredible multitasking as he was seen holding on to his damaged wing mirror while driving in the rain. MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 17: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas Hamilton and Mercedes struggled to get temperatures into their tyres in the wet After finishing first and second in FP2 on Friday, Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team mate George Russell finished in 10th and 15th, respectively, with both drivers struggling to get temperatures into their tyres. After recovering from his engine failure on his Haas on Friday, Nico Hulkenberg was 11th fastest, ahead of the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in 12th and 13th, with the Williams of Alex Albon in 14th. TECH TALK: Analysing the upgrades brought by Aston Martin to Montreal as they look to 'smash' Mercedes The previously mentioned Russell came next, ahead of Nyck de Vries in 16th for AlphaTauri, while Sergio Perez was down in a lowly 17th for Red Bull. Zhou Guanyu was 18th for Alfa Romeo, ahead of the of Esteban Ocon – who continued his recovery from a water pressure issue on his Alpine in FP2 – to finish 19th, with Logan Sargeant down at the bottom of the field. Join us again at 1600 local time for what is sure to be an exciting qualifying session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
18 June 2023 by    3 min read

Event: Canadian F1 Grand Prix
Track: Gilles Villeneuve circuit

Weather: wet 14°C
Tarmac: wet  17°C
Humidity: 91%
Wind: 3.9 km/h NW

FP3 Report

In an impressive display of wet-weather mastery, Max Verstappen commanded the final practice run at the 2023 Canadian F1 Grand Prix, held in Montreal. His Red Bull car stole the limelight as it outpaced Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso, setting the stage for a thrilling qualifying event later in the day.

A shift in weather from the mostly dry Friday saw the drivers take on a rain-soaked track. Consequently, the initial portion of the session saw the teams employing extreme wet tyres.

INSIGHTS FROM PRACTICE: Understanding the implications of Friday's interrupted practice in Canada

As the session progressed, the switch to intermediate tyres occurred after about a quarter of an hour, giving teams a chance to explore the optimal tyre transition point under potential qualifying conditions.

Once the intermediate tyres came into play, it was Verstappen and the Ferraris exchanging blows for the fastest lap times. Eventually, the Dutch driving ace outpaced Carlos Sainz by a clear margin of two and a half tenths, clocking a rapid 1m 24.480s.

However, fortune turned against Sainz as he lost control and crashed into the barrier at Turn 1. This unfortunate incident resulted in severe damage to both ends of his SF23 and prompted the deployment of red flags. The incident left his crew with a significant repair task before qualifying.

Once the green flag was waved, Verstappen continued his tour de force, posting a blistering time of 1m 23.106s on the intermediates. This put him ahead of his closest rival, Leclerc, by a gap of 0.291s.

Alonso clocked the third fastest time, although he lagged by over a second from Verstappen. Nonetheless, he finished ahead of Haas' surprise package, Kevin Magnussen, who held fourth place. Sainz, despite his mishap, managed to clinch the fifth spot.

Pierre Gasly came in sixth for Alpine, followed by Canada's own Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri - the latter having two close encounters with the barriers after spinning out. Valtteri Bottas, finishing ninth, showcased his ability to multitask, managing a damaged wing mirror while navigating the rainy track.

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas Hamilton and Mercedes grapple with tyre temperature issues in wet conditions Friday's FP2 leaders, Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell, had a less stellar outing, finishing 10th and 15th respectively, as they struggled with tyre temperature issues.

Having put his Friday's engine failure behind him, Nico Hulkenberg of Haas clocked the 11th fastest time, followed by McLaren's duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at 12th and 13th, and Williams' Alex Albon at 14th.

The list continued with Russell and then Nyck de Vries of AlphaTauri in 16th, while Red Bull's Sergio Perez ended up in a disappointing 17th position.

Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo clinched the 18th spot, followed by Esteban Ocon in 19th, who is still on the mend from a water pressure issue that plagued his Alpine in FP2. Logan Sargeant rounded out the field.

Last year's quickest lap time of FP3 was a 1:33.836 min, set by Fernando Alonso with the Alpine A522 driven on a set of intermdiate tyres because it rained.

FP3 Times Table 2023 Canadian GP

PNoDriverTeamTime1st GapLapsTyres
11Max VerstappenRed Bull1:23,10622I
216Charles LeclercFerrari1:23,397+0,291s22I
314Fernando AlonsoAston Martin1:24,483+1,377s18I
420Kevin MagnussenHaas1:24,715+1,609s23I
555Carlos SainzFerrari1:24,765+1,659s14I
610Pierre GaslyAlpine1:24,825+1,719s19I
718Lance StrollAston Martin1:24,944+1,838s22I
822Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri1:24,955+1,849s24I
977Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo1:24,988+1,882s22I
1044Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:25,087+1,981s20I
1127Nico HülkenbergHaas1:25,140+2,034s20I
1281Oscar PiastriMcLaren1:25,191+2,085s25I
134Lando NorrisMcLaren1:25,198+2,092s21I
1423Alex AlbonWilliams1:25,379+2,273s21I
1563George RussellMercedes1:25,435+2,329s20I
1621Nyck de VriesAlphaTauri1:25,725+2,619s24I
1711Sergio PérezRed Bull1:25,857+2,751s20I
1824Zhou GuanyuAlfa Romeo1:26,750+3,644s23I
1931Esteban OconAlpine1:26,840+3,734s10I
202Logan SargeantWilliams1:27,279+4,173s16I

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