Verstappen completes full sweep as fastest driver in FP3 at Japan GP

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen makes it a clean sweep across practice as he was the fastest driver in free practice three for the Japanese Grand Prix, ahead of Qualifying. 

After five minutes of inaction from the teams, the first drivers were finally out on track. Unlike Friday, the C2 prototype tyre was not featured at all as the teams and drivers prepared to finalise their setups for qualifying – and Parc Ferme – later on in the day. 

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was the first driver to head out on track, strapped with soft tyres onto his SF-23, ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc and the Spaniard naturally set the first lap time on the board. 

However, it wasn’t long before lap times started to tumble with the McLaren of Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen going blow-for-blow as they set new fastest laps throughout the session.

By the time the chequered flag fell Verstappen made it a full sweep for himself as he stood as the fastest driver across practice all weekend. The two McLarens completed the top three with Norris and Piastri two-tenths behind in second and third respectively. 

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Leclerc rounded out the top five, seven-tenths off the pace of Verstappen. Sainz slipped in just behind the two drivers, in sixth, just over a tenth behind his teammate. 

The two Mercedes managed to find some better pace compared to Friday and finished the final practice session down in seventh and eighth, with Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell respectively. The seven-time world champion managed to remain within a second of Verstappen’s best time while Russell found himself 1.2s off the pace.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou completed the top 10 in ninth and 10th. 

With only four laps under his belt in FP3, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas topped the bottom 10 in 11th, ahead of Kevin Magnussen (Haas), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) in 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th subsequently. 

Sergeant – who is in the last vacant seat of the 2024 grid after Alpha Tauri announced Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will remain for the Faenza-based team – led the bottom five in 16th, ahead of Alpha Tauri’s Liam Lawson (17th).  

Williams’ Alexander Albon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completed the field of 20 drivers in the final practice session of the weekend.

That’s all for the article: Verstappen completes full sweep as fastest driver in FP3 at Japan GP!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Alpha Tauri retain unchanged line up in Tsunoda and Ricciardo for 2024
• Verstappen heads the field in FP1 of Japan GP to shake off Singapore doubts
• McLaren lock down Piastri with new contract until 2026
• Sainz ends Red Bull’s and Verstappen’s F1 winning streak with victory in Singapore GP
• Sainz on pole for Singapore GP as both Red Bull’s exit after Q2
• Sainz completes practice clean sweep for Ferrari in Singapore GP FP3

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.