Max sixth fastest at the final free practice Russian GP

Published on 26 September 2020 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen finished sixth fastest at the third and final free practice for the Russian Grand Prix. The Dutchman noted a 1:34.306 having lapped the Sochi circuit eleven times. Mercedes-drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas took top steps coming in first and second while Carlos Sainz finished third in his McLaren.

With an ambient temperature of 26 degrees and a track temperature of 38 degrees the third and final free gets underway on the Sochi Autodrom. After five minutes Carlos Sainz' and Lando Norris’ McLarens are the first ones out on track. While Sainz heads back to the pits after an installation lap, Norris is the first to get a timed lap.

As it’s almost the case every Saturday morning, both Aston Martin Red Bull Racing-cars are the last ones to get out on track. Max is pretty much the last one to make it to the track with, coincidentally, 33 minutes left on the clock. At that same moment, Pierre Gasly spins his AlphaTauri at Turn fifteen, but the Frenchman is able to continue his way without any issues.

On the softs Max does a 1:34.306 in his first flying lap, which puts him second fastest, just 0.017 a drift from Bottas. Max continues on, but is unable to better his time. After a six-lap stint the Dutchman returns back to the Red Bull-garage.

While Max is in the pits, the Mercedes runners manage to shave off a bit of their time. Hamilton clocks a 1:33.279, with which he tops the timesheet, followed by Bottas. Even Sainz is able to get the better of Max. This means the Dutchman is fourth with still ten minutes remaining on the clock when he heads out on track for a run on the softs.

At the end of the session, Romain Grosjean spins at Turn fifteen, but the Frenchman returns back to the pits in his Haas without any issues. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas finish this practice at the top in their Mercedes while McLaren running Carlos Sainz is third fastest. On his final run Max is not able to better his time, while even Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon get the better of the Dutchman. As a consequence Verstappen finishes the session sixth fastest with eleven laps to his name.

At 14.00 hrs. local Dutch time, qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix will get underway.

Russian GP contest: Win a signed Max Verstappen cap and a 1:43 RB12 scale model!

Results third free practice Russia: