Max in P2 in third free practice at the Hungaroring
Published on 22 July 2023 by Kees-Jan Koster
Max Verstappen finished the third free practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix in second position. While the two-time world champion was the fastest in the first part of the session, it was Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes who set a faster time during the final fifteen minutes. Max was 0.25 seconds slower than Hamilton in his final flying lap. Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez finished behind Max in P3.
It is sunny with a pleasant temperature of 24 degrees and a track temperature of 45 degrees at the start of the third and final free practice session on the Hungaroring. Both Alfa Romeo drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, are the first to come out on track. Soon after, Max also comes out on a set of medium tyres. Max sets a time of 1:18.478 in his first flying lap, immediately taking first position, eight hundredths of a second faster than teammate Perez in P2. Verstappen returns to the Red Bull garage after a run of five laps.
Verstappen comes back out again on medium compound tyres after a short stay in the pits. This time Max is doing a race run with lap times in the 1 minute 23. He returns to the pits after a stint of twelves laps. While Verstappen is in the pits, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso set faster times than the Dutchman.
With fifteen minutes to go, Verstappen comes out on soft tyres. Max improves his time to a 1:18.061, putting him in second position, a quarter of a second slower than Hamilton. On the radio Max complains about the balance of his RB19. Max returns to the pits after this qualifying run. Verstappen does not improve his time and finishes behind Hamilton in second position. Teammate Perez is six thousandths of a second slower in P3. Nico Hulkenberg finishes fourth and Lando Norris in P5.
At 4pm Dutch time, qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix will start.
Contest Hungarian GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Verstappen.com Racing cap!
Results third free practice Hungary:
| pos | driver | team | time | laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | HAM | Mercedes | 1:17.811 | |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | VER | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:18.061 | +0.250s |
| 3 | Sergio Perez | PER | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:18.067 | +0.256s |
| 4 | Nico Hulkenberg | HUL | Haas Ferrari | 1:18.077 | +0.266s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | NOR | McLaren Mercedes | 1:18.082 | +0.271s |
| 6 | George Russell | RUS | Mercedes | 1:18.119 | +0.308s |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | LEC | Ferrari | 1:18.190 | +0.379s |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | SAI | Ferrari | 1:18.234 | +0.423s |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | ALO | Aston Martin Mercedes | 1:18.350 | +0.539s |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | BOT | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 1:18.489 | +0.678s |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | STR | Aston Martin Mercedes | 1:18.536 | +0.725s |
| 12 | Zhou Guanyu | ZHO | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 1:18.544 | +0.733s |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | ALB | Williams Mercedes | 1:18.592 | +0.781s |
| 14 | Oscar Piastri | PIA | McLaren Mercedes | 1:18.598 | +0.787s |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | MAG | Haas Ferrari | 1:18.649 | +0.838s |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | GAS | Alpine Renault | 1:18.776 | +0.965s |
| 17 | Logan Sargeant | SAR | Williams Mercedes | 1:18.814 | +1.003s |
| 18 | Daniel Ricciardo | RIC | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 1:18.828 | +1.017s |
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | OCO | Alpine Renault | 1:18.979 | +1.168s |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda | TSU | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 1:19.156 | +1.345s |
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