Red Bull's Verstappen less than a tenth behind; A lizard interrupts the session by running across the track!
Monday 19 September 2016 14:21, UK
Nico Rosberg just outpaced Max Verstappen in final practice for the Singapore GP as Red Bull closed in on Mercedes.
Rosberg's benchmark lap of 1:44.352, set on the ultrasoft tyres, was less than a tenth of a second faster than Verstappen's best effort.
The Dutchman's Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was only two tenths down on Rosberg before encountering traffic in the final corners.
Red Bull's encouraging showing against the all-conquering Mercedes package leaves the stage set for what is expected to be one of the closest qualifying hours of the season so far.
Qualifying, exclusively live on Sky F1, takes place at 2pm UK Time.
But Ferrari struggled for pace and a pair of mistakes by Lewis Hamilton meant the world champion ended the session 1.5 seconds adrift of his team-mate in just eighth place.
Hamilton, who missed the bulk of Practice Two due to a mechanical fault on his W07, twice ran off track after out-braking himself as he blew both of his flying laps.
Hamilton was the only driver in Practice Three to set his fastest lap time on supersofts.
"It does look like he's having real problems out there. It's anxiety-inducing," commented Sky F1 analyst Damon Hill.
The session was also enlivened by the appearance of a lizard on the circuit.
"There is a giant lizard on the track. I am not joking," radioed Max Verstappen.
"Face to face with godzilla," came the deadpan reply from the Red Bull pitwall.
An increasingly-unhappy Romain Grosjean encountered problems of an altogether different kind, however, with the Frenchman describing his Haas as "the worst car I've driven in a long time".
Despite optimism that the Singapore track would suit their McLaren cars, neither Fernando Alonso nor Jenson Button reached the top ten as surprise package Toro Rosso, for whom Daniil Kvyat was seventh and Carlos Sainz ninth, continued to impress.
Singapore GP Practice Three timesheet
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:44.352
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, + 0.059
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferraro, + 0.508
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, + 0.551
5. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, + 0.752
6. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, + 0.964
7. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, + 1.151
8. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, +1.454
9. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, + 1.527
10. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, + 1.595
11. Sergio Perez, Force India, + 1.760
12. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, + 1.812
13. Esteban Gutierrez, Haas, + 1.964
14. Felipe Massa, Williams, + 2.177
15. Kevin Magnussen, Williams, + 2.764
16. Jenson Button, McLaren, + 2.925
17. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, + 2.941
18. Romain Grosjean, Haas, + 3.059
19. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, + 3.604
20. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, + 4.337
21. Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, + 4.849
22. Esteban Ocon, Manor, + 5.213
