Third Free Practice Results 2023 Australian F1 GP
Event: Australian Grand Prix
Track: Albert Park Circuit
Fernando Alonso driving the Aston Martin AMR23 druing FP3 on Albert Park Circuit
Weather: dry 14°C
Tarmac: dry 22°C
Humidity: 63%
Wind: 14 km/h SE
Pressure: 1013.0 bar
In an action-packed third practice session in Melbourne, championship leader and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took the top spot, with Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) close behind as drivers completed their final preparation laps before qualifying for the 2023 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix..
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll was the first to hit the track when the lights turned green, leading the pack in a busy hour of running, as drivers sought to make up for the rain-affected FP2 session on Friday.
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz (P7) initially set the pace on soft tires with a time of 1:18.127, leading fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso by 0.202s. Many drivers opted for long, high fuel runs to kick off the day.
The session was temporarily interrupted by a red flag due to debris from Nyck de Vries's (P19) AlphaTauri on Turn nine, which marshals promptly cleared.
Once the track was cleared, Verstappen posted an impressive time of 1:17.565, outpacing Alonso by 0.162s. Alpine showed remarkable form as Ocon and Pierre Gasly secured third and fifth fastest times, respectively, with George Russell's Mercedes in fourth.
Sergio Pérez, driving the second Red Bull, finished sixth despite a challenging FP3 that included suspension work on his RB19 and braking issues and went of track a couple of times.
Sainz, who ended up seventh, was fortunate to avoid major damage after an off-track incident at Turn 11. He 'finished' ahead of Lewis Hamilton (P8) and Lance Stroll (P9). Zhou Guanyu secured a top-10 finish for Alfa Romeo, escaping serious damage after an off-track excursion at Turn 2.
Lando Norris was last as a suspected clutch problem on his McLaren kept him in the garage for a long time.
Last years quickest lap in FP3 was a 1:19,117 min driven by Lando Norris with the McLaren MCL36.
FP3 Times Table 2023 Australian GP
| P | No | Driver | Team | Time | 1st Gap | Laps | Tyres |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:17,565 | 24 | S | |
| 2 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:17,727 | +0,162s | 26 | S |
| 3 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:17,938 | +0,373s | 23 | S |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:17,955 | +0,390s | 23 | S |
| 5 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:18,094 | +0,529s | 23 | S |
| 6 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:18,123 | +0,558s | 18 | S |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:18,127 | +0,562s | 29 | S |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:18,138 | +0,573s | 25 | S |
| 9 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:18,198 | +0,633s | 22 | S |
| 10 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:18,330 | +0,765s | 20 | S |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:18,410 | +0,845s | 24 | S |
| 12 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:18,553 | +0,988s | 21 | S |
| 13 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:18,691 | +1,126s | 28 | S |
| 14 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:18,713 | +1,148s | 21 | S |
| 15 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:18,809 | +1,244s | 24 | S |
| 16 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:18,901 | +1,336s | 22 | S |
| 17 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:18,947 | +1,382s | 20 | S |
| 18 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:19,056 | +1,491s | 26 | S |
| 19 | 21 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri | 1:19,092 | +1,527s | 23 | S |
| 20 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:19,146 | +1,581s | 12 | M |
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