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FP3 Report: Verstappen sets the fastest time ahead of qualifying in Monaco

22 May 2021 at 12:00
Last update 22 May 2021 at 12:02
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Ferrari reinstate their bid to become contenders for pole position with competitive times in the third and final free practice session, but it's Max Verstappen who topped the timesheets and laid the best marker. Mercedes struggled to get the best out of their car with P4 for Valtteri Bottas, and the World Championship leader down in P7. 

The session ended under red flag conditions after Mick Schumacher had a major crash in the casino square. 

Ferrari again look strong

Mercedes and Red Bull Racing stayed in the garage during the opening 15 minutes to let the rest of the field put some grip down on the circuit after some overnight rain. Kimi Raikkonen's Alfa Romeo car led the way until the two Ferrari cars regained the lead at the top of the timesheets. 

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz traded lap times for the P1 position. Ferrari once again putting down a marker for qualifying on Saturday afternoon with Leclerc becoming the first driver to dip into the 1:11's. 

But Verstappen ensured that Red Bull remain well within the mix for qualifying, by going 0.173 seconds faster than Leclerc.

Trouble for Mercedes?

The lead then flipped back to Ferrari with Sainz as the two Mercedes drivers locked up at different corners. Hamilton reported some balance issues on the radio. The trouble for Mercedes grew when Nicholas Latifi crashed at the exit of the swimming pool. 

With the circuit under red flag conditions, Mercedes lost some crucial time to test different set-ups on their car. The session restarted with 11 minutes remaining as the Williams pit crew assessed the damage and their repair job in time for qualifying. The Haas crew will also have plenty of work to do, perhaps even an impossible repair with Schumacher's car completely wrecked.