Bottas edges Hamilton in F1 Hungarian GP final practice
Formula 1 world championship leader Valtteri Bottas edged out teammate Lewis Hamilton in another Mercedes 1-2 during final practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Bottas outpaced Hamilton by just 0.042s during the qualifying simulation runs as the pack closed up in the final hour of practice running in Hungary.
Mercedes has led both dry practice sessions so far this weekend, but this time it was Bottas who headed the way from Hamilton, who is seeking an eighth victory at the Hungaroring.
Hamilton managed his best time on his second flying lap of his final qualifying simulation run, suggesting he has more time up his sleeve.
Racing Point’s impressive pace continued on Saturday as Sergio Perez took third, just 0.161s adrift of the Mercedes duo.
Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari in between the Racing Points in what was a more encouraging session for the Scuderia, with Lance Stroll rounding out the top five.
Red Bull’s struggles looked to continue as Max Verstappen could only manage the sixth-fastest time, over six-tenths behind Bottas’ benchmark.
The team broke the curfew on Friday night in order to make changes to Verstappen’s RB16 after the Dutchman was left unhappy with the balance following Friday practice, but little seemed to improve in FP3 with Verstappen suffering a spin at Turn 12.
Lando Norris was the highest-placed McLaren in seventh, two-tenths clear of the second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.
Pierre Gasly reported some power dropouts throughout the session but still managed to place his AlphaTauri inside the top-10, ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Carlos Sainz was 11th for McLaren, while Alex Albon also struggled for pace in his Red Bull on his way to only setting the 12th-quickest time.
Next up came Esteban Ocon in his Renault, while George Russell continued his impressive form to place his Williams in 14th, suggesting the British squad has the pace to fight for a place in Q2 for the second weekend in a row.
The two Haas drivers were in formation order in P15 and P16, with Romain Grosjean outpacing his teammate by two-tenths.
Daniil Kvyaat was 17th-fastest, ahead of the Alfa Romeo duo headed by Antonio Giovinazzi, and Nicholas Latifi, whose last flying lap was ruined by a spin.
FULL RESULTS FROM FINAL PRACTICE FOR THE 2020 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX.
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