The great favorite for the world title significantly outperformed Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who were left wanting to keep up. Fernando Alonso reaffirmed his status as a great surprise with a more than decent 4th time.
After a totally wet Friday, the third free practice session gave the drivers a break and in these conditions there were several news. The first, that the Ferraris can fight for first place against Max Verstappenthe second that this is the great favorite and the third that Fernando Alonso wants to ring the bell.
The Dutchman was the fastest in the session after setting a clearly faster lap than the red cars, with Carlos Sainz 2nd and charles leclerc 3rd. The pace shown by those from Maranello confirms their status as an alternative to the great candidate for the title, with the permission of a Sergio Perez that, despite staying out of the ‘top 5’, suffered traffic problems.
After the ‘top 3’, the news was to see Fernando Alonso. The Asturian’s challenge is to repeat those good feelings, portrayed in a more than optimal 4th time, in the classification. At least sneak into Q3 without suffering and if it can be in the ‘top 5’ of the grid, much better.
The next Aston Martin driver made it clear that the Alpine works both in the rain and in the wet, which is great news for them given that they are in the midst of fighting with McLaren for 4th place in the World Championship.
Free time table 3 Japanese Grand Prix
There are serious doubts that qualifying will be held in the dry, although apparently the drivers are ready. It will be more complex to predict what will happen in the race, when it is expected to be in the wet.
Photos: Red Bull Content Pool