Sunny. Dry. Air +28…29С, highway +43С
The third training in Abu Dhabi was especially important. The first team was responsible for putting young pilots behind the wheel, the second was interrupted for a long time due to red flags, forcing most of the program to be postponed until Saturday. During qualifying and the race it was much warmer than expected, but that is the nature of all evening stages.
Ferrari and Haas restored the cars after Friday’s accidents; the Scuderia assembled a car for Sainz on a new chassis, violating the curfew.
The tire makers brought the softest rubber compounds to the podium: C3, C4 and C5 in Hard, Medium and Soft roles. The teams focused on Soft in preparation for qualifying – overtaking is difficult in Abu Dhabi, a lot depends on a good starting position. The track condition gradually improved, speeds increased, but strong winds were a hindrance.
There were no incidents. George Russell showed the best time, completing a lap in 1:24.418.
Results of the third session
| Pilot | Team | Time | Difference | Circles |
| 1. D. Russell | Mercedes | 1:24,418 | – | 14 |
| 2. L.Norris | McLaren | 1:24,513 | +0.095 | 16 |
| 3. O. Piastri | McLaren | 1:24,810 | +0.392 | 16 |
| 4. A. Albon | Williams | 1:24,929 | +0.511 | 17 |
| 5. S. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:25,099 | +0.681 | 27 |
| 6. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:25,153 | +0.735 | 19 |
| 7. E. Okon | Alps | 1:25,194 | +0.776 | 18 |
| 8. L. Sargent | Williams | 1:25,205 | +0.787 | 17 |
| 9. Yu.Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:25,222 | +0.804 | 15 |
| 10. G.Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 1:25,258 | +0.840 | 23 |
| 11. C. Perez | Red Bull | 1:25,259 | +0.841 | 21 |
| 12. L.Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:25,292 | +0.874 | 26 |
| 13. P. Gasly | Alps | 1:25,303 | +0.885 | 18 |
| 14. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:25,343 | +0.925 | 25 |
| 15. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 1:25,405 | +0.987 | 24 |
| 16. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:25,420 | +1,002 | 16 |
| 17. N. Hulkenberg | Hare | 1:25,584 | +1,166 | 22 |
| 18. D. Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 1:25,597 | +1,179 | 15 |
| 19. K. Magnussen | Hare | 1:25,652 | +1,234 | 20 |
| 20. K.Sainz | Ferrari | 1:25,713 | +1,295 | 29 |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
