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Red Bull makes comeback in VT3, Mercedes falls back

Red Bull makes comeback in VT3, Mercedes falls back

23-10-2021 20:12

GPblog.com

Sergio Perez is in his element. After being fastest on Friday, he repeated that result in the final free practice session on Saturday. Charles Leclerc surprised with a second time in his Ferrari, followed by Max Verstappen in third.

It was not immediately crowded when the last practice session started. After a few minutes the first drivers were on track and after ten minutes most drivers were out.

Lewis Hamilton was the first to set a fast time with a 1.35.814, but that time was bettered by Sergio Perez, who clocked a 1:35.633. Max Verstappen briefly topped the timesheet with a time of 1:35.207, but again that was bettered by teammate Perez.

Ferrari surprises, Mercedes disappoints

The Red Bull drivers were at the top of the timesheet for much of the session, until Carlos Sainz parked his Ferrari between them. Both Verstappen and Hamilton set fast lap times in the final phase of the session, but saw their times cancelled for exceeding track limits.

Verstappen ended VT3 in third place. Mercedes had to make up for lost time compared to Friday, and had to settle for fifth place for Valtteri Bottas and sixth for Lewis Hamilton.