Russian GP | Leclerc leads in final practice, while Daniil Kvyat faces engine problems at home Grand Prix
The third practice session has finished in Sochi. Two Ferrari on top, Mercedes in P3 and P4 and Daniil Kvyat risks to miss qualifying.
Despite the weather forecast promised wet session, actually FP3 was on the dry track. Although the raining was all night and even in the early morning.
The final practice session in Sochi started with Daniil Kvyat’s technical issues. Before the Grand Prix in Sochi the Russian got new elements of the engine, however, it seems the new unit doesn’t work well. A few laps after Daniil informed the team “he hears a very strong noise when downshifting”, Kvyat has stopped on the track. “Engine! Engine! I have an engine problem!” – the driver said. So, it was a finish for him in FP3, and it’s unknown if the team manages to fix the car to qualifying.
The home Grand Prix curse strikes again@kvyatofficial puts in a nice lap and stops on track with an issue 😞 #F1 #RussianGP 🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/YeR5eXL5sf
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) September 28, 2019
Also Honda confirmed that Daniil pulling over was due to power unit issue, and the team will be fitting a brand new Spec 4 PU to be prepared for tomorrow’s race.
Mercedes cars lost Ferrari again. During the session, Lewis Hamilton had problems with Soft tyres overheating. His teammate Valtteri Bottas did a faster final sector, but not faster enough to overtake Ferrari, so it was only for P3.
In last 15 minutes Lewis managed to improve the time and pass both teammate and Sebastian Vettel, moving to second position. However, then Sebastian showed a better lap and took back P2.
On Thursday, in the first day of Russian Grand Prix, Sergio Perez said he feels quite confident about their results in Sochi. However, in FP3 Racing Point cars looked weak. Moreover, in last minutes of the session Sergio blocked the rear left wheel and had a spin in Turn 13. The driver finished the session in P15, while his teammate Lance Stroll took P16.
The full results of FP3:
CLASSIFICATION: END OF FP3@ScuderiaFerrari on top and their rivals have work to do 👀
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 28, 2019
Next stop = qualifying!#RussianGP 🇷🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/dBzYJPqDqv
You also may be interesting in: https://www.motorlat.com/notas/f1/13093/mercedes-to-power-mclaren-from-2021-quot-until-at-least-2024-quot
