Australian GP: Leclerc fastest in final practice ahead of Verstappen and Sainz
23rd March 2024Feature Image credit: Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari pipped Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and, teammate, Carlos Sainz as the fastest driver in FP3 ahead of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.
Final practice has been completed and it was a relatively strange session as Sainz topped the session for the majority of the session, on the medium tyres. At the chequered flag, he was pipped to the post by both Leclerc and Verstappen.
A total of 19 drivers competed in the session after it was announced Logan Sargeant would not take part in the race weekend as Alexander Albon took his car, following his crash in FP1.
At the chequered flag, Leclerc was the fastest driver out on the track with a blistering lap time of 1m 16.714s followed by Verstappen, Sainz and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in 2nd, 3rd and 4th – all within a tenth of a second of Leclerc’s time.
Mercedes’ George Russell completed the top five in 5th, as the first driver outside a tenth of a second of the best time, accompanied by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Sergio Perez (Red Bull) in 6th and 7th, respectively.
Oscar Piastri was the leading Australian and McLaren driver, in 8th, as his teammate Lando Norris completed the top 10 in 10th. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was sandwiched in between the two McLaren’s in 9th.
Yuki Tsunoda occupied P11 as the last driver to be within a second of Ferrari’s best time on the board, with Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas for company in 12th just behind him.
The sole Williams of Albon set his best lap time on the medium tyres, the only driver to do so across the session, and occupied 13th as a result. Kick’s Guanyu Zhou and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 15, in 14th and 15th respectively.
Haas occupied 16th and 17th with Nico Hulkenberg as the fastest of the two, ahead of Kevin Magnussen. RB’s Daniel Ricciardo and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the 19-car field, in 18th and 19th.
Qualifying is the next session in the Australian GP schedule which will get underway at 4pm local time (5am GMT).
That’s all for the article; Australian GP: Leclerc fastest in final practice ahead of Verstappen and Sainz!
Read more Formula 1 here:
- A concerning picture for Williams following Albon/Sargeant switch
- Albon to compete Australian GP in Sargeant’s car
- Australian GP: Leclerc fastest in undisrupted FP2 ahead of Verstappen
- Norris fastest in Australian GP FP1 as Albon crashes out
- Susie Wolff files ‘criminal complaint’ against the FIA
- Piastri excited for Melbourne return as Stella looks to keep momentum
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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.
