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Charles Leclerc tops a damp FP3 going into Mexican Grand Prix qualifying
Charles Leclerc has topped a damp third and final practice session ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix. The man from Monaco becomes the third different driver to top the timesheets this weekend after Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton recorded P1s on Friday. Ferrari mechanics spent most of the session working on Vettel's car after a sensory issue in the engine, but the German managed to finish second.
Valtteri Bottas managed to be faster than his Mercedes teammate Hamilton, a result he'll want to maintain going into the next two sessions of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend to keep his title hopes alive. Hamilton needs to outscore Bottas by 14 points or more to win his sixth F1 world championship.
Carlos Sainz beat both Aston Martin Red Bull Racing drivers to finish 5th. Max Verstappen rounded out the top six as Renault failed to record any running due to a mechanical issue on both cars.
Full classification from FP3 #MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Yaht9yAdJ9
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2019
A wet start in more ways than one...
The track was damp at the top of the hour, with those who wanted to venture onto the track early doing so with intermediate tyres. Pierre Gasly wasn't one of those drivers rushing out of the garage, as a stomach bug kept the Toro Rosso mechanics waiting.
Despite the damp track conditions, there was plenty of action early on. There is rain forecast for Sunday, but it's currently due to hit after the race. That could of course change and it looks like the big three teams prepared for this during the opening 10 minutes of free practice three.
Verstappen led the way early on. Hamilton reported a loss of power during his opening laps but the Mercedes mechanics were happy to keep the British driver on the track who then went onto record a time that would split the Red Bulls.
A mid-session interval, but not for mechanics
More action took place in the garage than on the track in the middle of the session. By this point, just seven drivers had set a timed lap. Hamilton, Verstappen and Russell were all spotted relaxing inside their garage, while Vettel, Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo were doing the opposite.
Ferrari mechanics were busy working on a sensory issue in Vettel's engine, while Renault engineers were rushing to fix an identical problem on both cars.
Mad dash finish
Kimi Raikkonen was the first driver to try out the dry tyres. Within one lap, the former Formula 1 world champion posted the fastest lap of the day. His 1:21.673 knocked Verstappen's early lap off the top.
Bottas managed to smash Raikkonen's time away, beating it by over two seconds. Vettel finally managed to get out on track with 12 minutes remaining and he reached the top of the timesheets immediately. Albon was next in as the track continued to improve.
Sainz bumped himself up to P1, but was soon knocked off by both Silver Arrows. The two Ferrari's completed the mad dash and went to the top of the timesheets.