Max Verstappen completes Spanish Grand Prix practice treble by topping Saturday's session; rain limits session to less than 10 minutes of dry running as Sergio Perez second and Lewis Hamilton third; watch Qualifying live on Sky Sports F1 at 3pm, with build-up from 2:15pm
Saturday 3 June 2023 12:56, UK
Max Verstappen topped a rain-interrupted final practice at the Spanish Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton showed potential signs of improvement for Mercedes ahead of Qualifying.
With huge clouds gathering above the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of the session, there was a frantic start as the entire grid sought to complete Qualifying simulations before the rain began falling.
Most drivers managed just one flying lap, with Verstappen's 1:13.664 ensuring the world championship leader completed a practice treble after topping both of Friday's sessions.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was 0.250s back in second, with Hamilton third, 0.4s off the Dutchman in his upgraded Mercedes.
There was a red flag eight minutes into the session as into the session after Williams' Logan Sargeant crashed at the modified final corner, and by the time the track had been cleared, heavy rain was falling.
That meant there was no opportunity for the drivers to improve their times, with most of the field only returning to the track in the closing 15 minutes for some wet running, with more rain potentially around for Qualifying.
Carlos Sainz was fourth for Ferrari, with fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso fifth for Aston Martin in front of a sell-out crowd desperate to see one of them on the podium come Sunday.
Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate George Russell was sixth, a place ahead of Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari.
Having impressed on Friday, Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were 16th and 18th, respectively, having opted to use the dry time at the start of the session to run on medium tyres, rather than the soft compound the rest of the field set their fastest times on.
The track dried sufficiently to enable the use of slick tyres in the closing minutes, but the dampness meant no drivers were able to improve on the times they had set at the beginning of the session.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll went off track, along with Gasly but both avoided any major damage, while Verstappen sensibly told his team over radio that there was no need to risk pushing in the closing stages.
The lack of running leaves some mystery ahead of a Qualifying, with Verstappen undoubtedly starting as favourite as Red Bull seek to maintain their run of six wins to start the season, four of which have been claimed by the Dutchman.
As for Mercedes, the significant upgrades they've brought to the W14 made an underwhelming impact on a disappointing Friday, but Hamilton being the best of the rest, albeit in limited running time, is a positive sign for the Silver Arrows.
Will Red Bull's winning run in F1 2023 continue at the Spanish GP? Watch all the action live on Sky Sports F1, with Qualifying at 3pm on Saturday and the race at 2pm on Sunday. Get Sky Sports
