Lewis Hamilton yesterday proved he retains the pace and intensity required for a title scrap, when he topped the times for Mercedes in the third and final practice for today’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
With dark clouds threatening rain, the revitalized defending five-time world champion responded to a record-breaking lap from Dutch tyro Max Verstappen of Red Bull with an outright record lap of his own at the hot, dusty and technical Hungaroring.
It resulted in Hamilton, much recovered from the virus that had hit him at last weekend’s Germany Grand Prix, on top in an all-time record lap time of 1 minute, 16.084 seconds, ahead of Verstappen by 0.013 seconds with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari only 0.082 seconds adrift in third.
Photo: Reuters
Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, who on Friday had required an engine change, was fourth, 0.271 seconds behind the leader, with Charles Leclerc fifth for Ferrari and Pierre Gasly sixth in the second Red Bull.
The session was delayed by 10 minutes to clear oil deposited at the fourth turn by a blown engine during an earlier F2 race.
This required much cement dust that blew in dusty clouds as darker heavier ones filled the sky.
The air temperature fell from a pre-session 25°C and the track dropped from above 40°C to 38°C as the threat of rain passed overhead.
“The dust coming off the track is incredible, no other way to describe it,” British rookie Lando Norris said as he sped to the early fastest lap.
After a tentative first few laps, Hamilton went top to be succeeded by Verstappen, Bottas and then Leclerc, before Hamilton regained the ascendancy in 1 minute, 16.339 seconds, a sequence that demonstrated the competitiveness of the leading cars.
Verstappen then swept to an outright lap record in 1 minute, 16.097 seconds, but it was not enough to quell Hamilton’s enthusiasm.
The reduced 50-minute session, following Friday’s rain-hit day, created an intense practice with all the top drivers pushing for times throughout.
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