(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ferrari was the measure of all things in Formula 1 in Baku for the fast single lap, but at the Miami Grand Prix Max Verstappen seems to be the top favorite for pole position. In the third free practice session at the Hard Rock Stadium, the Red Bull driver clocked a best time of 1:27.535 minutes, almost half a second faster than his nearest pursuers.
Max Verstappen drove the best time in the third free practice session in Miami 2023
Verstappen’s tires weren’t even fresh when he set his personal best. After the first timed lap on the soft, the world championship leader did a cool-down lap and then went back to the hunt for times. In the end he was fastest in all three sectors.
Second went to Charles Leclerc (Ferrari/+0.406), who only achieved his personal best at the end of the session when the track was getting faster and faster; followed by Sergio Perez (Red Bull/+0.515), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari/+0.590) and the surprisingly strong Alpine duo Esteban Ocon (+0.872) and Pierre Gasly (+0.893).
On the subject:
Result 3rd free practice
Paddock live: The whole Saturday in the ticker
Analysis live: From 3:00 a.m. on YouTube
Verstappen is known for often nagging on the pit radio, especially at the beginning of a session, because something doesn’t suit him. In the third practice session in Miami, however, he was happy with the balance of his Red Bull from the first run. When asked by his race engineer if he wanted any changes for the next few runs, he simply said: “No.”
Perez: Switched to Verstappen template during set-up?
Teammate Perez seems to have adapted to Verstappen in terms of set-up. While the Mexican was up to seven km/h faster yesterday but too slow in the corners, the two Red Bull drivers were equally fast today in terms of top speed (340 km/h).
Perez wasn’t entirely free of worries at lunchtime on Saturday. It had been around half an hour into the session when a mechanic waved it out of the pits. It almost came to a collision with McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who was just coming in from the track at the time.
Hulkenberg: Top 10 starting place possible?
In addition to Alpine, there were other surprises in the top 10. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo/+0.921), for example, who finished seventh, just ahead of Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg (0.962). Alexander Albon (Williams/+1.026) and George Russell (Mercedes/+1.071) completed the top 10.
‘Sky’ expert Ralf Schumacher is therefore hoping for a positive surprise from a German perspective. He says: “In qualifying today he can finish in the top 10. The Mercedes are having a hard time today. That could be a chance for him.”
Mercedes: Balance okay, speed too low
Mercedes had finished 1st and 2nd in the first practice session, but has not been able to repeat this result since then. Not even on Saturday afternoon: “The balance is okay. But overall we’re fighting with the pace,” reported Russell after 20 minutes on the pit radio. 15 minutes later he reported: “Many vibrations on the steering column at high speed.”
Teammate Lewis Hamilton (13./+1.183) had other problems: “We seem to be losing a lot more on the straights.” The data says: The two Red Bulls were the fastest on the straights at 340 km/h. Hamilton was in midfield at 335 km/h. Incidentally, the slowest was Lando Norris (19./McLaren/+1.866) at 331 km/h.
The two Aston Martins were far behind in the last session before qualifying. Fernando Alonso was 12th, 1.083 seconds back, Lance Stroll was 14th, 1.188 seconds back. The team had hoped to be at the top this weekend, not only in race trim but also in qualifying trim.
Where can you watch Formula 1 live in Miami?
In Germany exclusively on Sky. And at unusual times, due to the six-hour time difference between Miami and Germany. Qualifying begins on Saturday evening at 10:00 p.m. German time. Sky gets into the preliminary reports at 9:30 p.m.
The race on Sunday starts at 9:30 p.m. German time. The preliminary reports on Sky, including expert Ralf Schumacher and exciting information about Formula 1, can be seen at prime time from 8 p.m.
By the way: Sky also shows highlights related to the live broadcasts this weekend, such as a very special interview with Lewis Hamilton, in which the seven-time world champion undergoes a lie detector test.
The recorded interview can be viewed on Saturday at 9:15 p.m. and on Sunday from 7:45 p.m. (ADVERTISEMENT: Be there up close with Sky, from the first free practice session to the award ceremony!)