Leading McLaren competitor and Friday pace-setter Lando Norris, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton put up a Mercedes one-two during the British Grand Prix’s rainy third and final practice session.
After an overcast but mostly dry start to the British Grand Prix weekend, heavy rain overnight soaked the Silverstone track, setting the stage for a thrilling FP3 session. Drivers faced a slick circuit at the start of the hour-long session, with Pirelli’s green-marked intermediate tyres put to the test.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen set the early pace with a 1m 54.798s lap, significantly slower than Norris’ Friday benchmark, highlighting the challenging conditions. Max Verstappen soon found himself spinning wildly at Brooklands, to the shock of the fans, and Pierre Gasly followed with a trip into the gravel at Club, causing a red flag.
As the session resumed and drivers ventured back out, George Russell noted slight improvements in the track conditions despite intermittent rain. However, Valtteri Bottas struggled with grip, enduring a low-speed spin. Amid the evolving conditions, Lewis Hamilton posted a 1m 38.065s, edging ahead of Charles Leclerc, home favorite Lando Norris, and Verstappen as a drier line began to emerge.
In the session’s latter half, Russell clocked in at 1m 37.529s, a time that held firm as another shower dampened the track. Hamilton was close behind his teammate, with Norris securing the third spot in his McLaren, followed by Carlos Sainz, Verstappen, and Leclerc.
Fernando Alonso was one of the few to improve late in the session, climbing to eighth for Aston Martin. He narrowly beat Sergio Perez, with Nico Hulkenberg completing the top ten in his upgraded Haas. Williams drivers Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant sandwiched Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin in positions P11 to P13.
Further down the order, Yuki Tsunoda, Bottas, and Esteban Ocon led their respective teams. Magnussen finished 17th, just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who faces a post-session steward investigation. Zhou Guanyu and the sidelined Gasly, who will take an engine penalty this weekend, rounded out the standings.
Russell’s stellar performance, along with strong showings from Hamilton and Norris, ensured a British trio led the way in the final practice, setting the stage for an exciting qualifying session.
