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Latifi tops wet FP3 session, with Albon in third! Leclerc beats Verstappen

Latifi tops wet FP3 session, with Albon in third! Leclerc beats Verstappen

30-07-2022 13:01
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Nicholas Latifi has topped the timesheet in the third free practice session, with his Williams teammate Alex Albon getting third. Williams were last to cross the line on a drying track. Charles Leclerc beat Max Verstappen by one second in what will be a very exciting qualifying session. 

Wet wet wet

The Hungaroring experienced a deluge around 60 minutes before the start of FP3. As the build-up developed, the rain slowed down. No teams rushed out onto the track, but it was Ferrari who opted to do the drying job with both Sainz and Leclerc going out on the circuit first. There was a brief period where questions about the intermediate tyre were asked, and Fernando Alonso gave it a go. The rain got worse and that was the end of running for the first 30 minutes. 

The circuit got far busier in the second 30 minutes, with most moving down onto the intermediate tyres. Forecasters predict qualifying will be completed in very similar conditions so teams and drivers tried to learn everything possible ready for later this afternoon. If the conditions remain the same, then it will be very challenging for the drivers. 

Mercedes had issues with their tyre warm-up. Both Hamilton and Russell reported that they didn't have any grip on the green-walled tyre. Favourite for pole position Leclerc almost threw it all away. He had a 360-degree spin but managed to avoid the wall. Vettel and Russell also spent time running off the track in the final 15 minutes of the session.

Vettel, who announced he will retire from the sport in Abu Dhabi, bought out the red flags after pushing slightly too hard at turn 10. He spun and slid into the barriers backwards raising question marks about his gearbox. The track was just improving, with Alonso moving into P2 making it a good session for the birthday driver. 

Despite the crash from Vettel, Aston Martin had a good session. McLaren wasn't as close to the top compared to yesterday, but it was still a positive result for them with Norris spending much of the session in the top five. Perez didn't enjoy the conditions as he finished in 20th. Latifi stole the limelight in the last seconds of the session to record the fastest time for the first time in Formula 1