The second day of racing at the Portimao circuit has begun. After two exciting free practice sessions, in which the Red Bull and Mercedes seemed to be closely matched, it's now time for the final practice session.
Liveblog - FP3
Both the first and second practice session at the Algarve International Circuit were topped by Mercedes. Bottas recorded a 1:19:648 during FP1. Lewis Hamilton, who last year won his record-breaking 92nd victory at this track, set a 1:19:837 during the second session, which was good for first place. Verstappen followed the Mercedes with a minimal difference in the two sessions.
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In addition, both the top teams experienced technical problems on Friday. Verstappen reported a malfunction related to the sensors, but this would have been solved by now. Both Silver Arrows on the other hand again had problems with the balance, which made it difficult to set a flying lap. All in all, excitement seems almost guaranteed today in Portugal.
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Drivers struggle with grip
Finding the right grip is again a problem for the drivers this year at Portimao. The Pirelli tyre, as with the track's debut on the modern Formula 1 calendar last year, has too hard a compound for this circuit, something both Hamilton and Verstappen complained about earlier.
Follow all the action in the third free practice session at Portimao here, in our live blog!