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Verstappen second fastest at the final free practice Hungaroring

Published on 31 July 2021 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen came in second fastest at the final free practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman lapped the 4,381 kilometer long track thirteen times with a 1:16.914 being his fastest lap time. Lewis Hamilton topped the board on behalf of Mercedes with a 1:16.826. Team mate Valtteri Bottas completed the top three.

The temperature has climbed to twenty-seven degrees when final free practice gets underway. Haas-driver Nikita Mazepin is the first one out on the tarmac. Max Verstappen makes to the track after some twenty minutes on a set of the softs. The Dutchman clocks a 1:17.510 on his first timed lap before entering the pit lane for a practice start. When the batteries in his RB16B have been charged up, Verstappen gives it another go but this attempt doesn’t lead to any improvement at all.

Halfway the session, Valtteri Bottas is leading the pack with a 1:17.428. Max Verstappen (+0.082), Lewis Hamilton (+0.776), Sergio Pérez (+0.819), Carlos Sainz (+1.404) and Charles Leclerc (+1.473) are at that moment the top six, noting that only the Ferraris are the only ones to have done their times on the medium compound tyre.

After that a relatively calm period follows, until Mick Schumacher runs into the tyre wall, exiting Turn eleven, fifteen minutes before time. The German lost the rear of his Haas turning in for the corner, after which he slid off course and impacted the tyre wall from the side. Schumacher is able to walk away unscathed but the damage to his Haas is quite substantial. Race Control decides to temporarily stop the session.

With still ten minutes to go, the lights turn green again at the end of the pit lane and the teams get back to the order of the day. Verstappen manages to improve his time in the closing stages to a 1:16.914 and comes in second fastest. Hamilton is a tad bit faster by a tenth and finishes the session at the top of the board. Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris round out the top six.

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Results third free practice Hungary:

posdriverteamtimelaps
1Lewis HamiltonHAMMercedes1:16.826
2Max VerstappenVERRed Bull Racing Honda1:16.914+0.088s
3Valtteri BottasBOTMercedes1:17.055+0.229s
4Carlos SainzSAIFerrari1:17.497+0.671s
5Charles LeclercLECFerrari1:17.520+0.694s
6Lando NorrisNORMcLaren Mercedes1:17.772+0.946s
7Sergio PerezPERRed Bull Racing Honda1:17.917+1.091s
8Daniel RicciardoRICMcLaren Mercedes1:17.942+1.116s
9Fernando AlonsoALOAlpine Renault1:17.992+1.166s
10Lance StrollSTRAston Martin Mercedes1:18.050+1.224s
11Pierre GaslyGASAlphaTauri Honda1:18.115+1.289s
12Esteban OconOCOAlpine Renault1:18.174+1.348s
13Sebastian VettelVETAston Martin Mercedes1:18.235+1.409s
14Yuki TsunodaTSUAlphaTauri Honda1:18.461+1.635s
15Kimi RäikkönenRAIAlfa Romeo Racing Ferrari1:18.683+1.857s
16George RussellRUSWilliams Mercedes1:18.794+1.968s
17Nicholas LatifiLATWilliams Mercedes1:18.821+1.995s
18Antonio GiovinazziGIOAlfa Romeo Racing Ferrari1:19.113+2.287s
19Mick SchumacherMSCHaas Ferrari1:19.406+2.580s
20Nikita MazepinMAZHaas Ferrari1:19.933+3.107s