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Spanish GP: Max Verstappen tops final practice as Lewis Hamilton improves ahead of Qualifying

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

Max Verstappen final practice
Image: Max Verstappen completed a practice treble at the Spanish Grand Prix

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.

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Logan Sargeant crashed his Williams into the wall, bringing out the red flag during final practice in Spain

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.

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Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate George Russell was sixth, a place ahead of Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari.

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Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Alpine's Pierre Gasly both went off the track during final practice.

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.

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Formula 1 drivers have largely reacted positively to track changes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

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.

Spanish GP Practice Three Timesheet

Driver Team Time
1) Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:13.664
2) Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.250
3) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.408
4) Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.576
5) Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.600
6) George Russell Mercedes +0.614
7) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.689
8) Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +0.696
9) Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +0.995
10) Lando Norris McLaren +1.017
11) Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +1.017
12) Nyck de Vries Alpha Tauri +1.029
13) Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.092
14) Nico Hulkenberg Haas +1.324
15) Oscar Piastri McLaren +1.441
16) Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.602
17) Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.870
18) Pierre Gasly Alpine +2.177
19) Alex Albon Williams +2.187
20) Logan Sargeant Williams +2.865

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

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