At the start of the session, during the first 10 minutes, Max Verstappen led the pack with a time of 1m35.538s followed by George Russell’s Mercedes at 0.322 seconds. The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were positioned in third and fourth with Lando Norris closing the top five as the best of the McLarens, while Sergio Pérez was sixth with more than a second difference compared to his Dutch teammate.
Argentine Franco Colapinto started in 18th position with the use of hard tires.
As the track improved, Charles Leclerc took the lead with a time of 1m34.966s followed by Sainz at 0.265 seconds, displacing Russell to third and with Verstappen and Norris closing the top five, while Colapinto remained in the back. drops from the classifier and Checo Pérez among the RBs of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda within the top 10.
Verstappen was one of the first leaders to put on the soft tires and immediately jumped to the top with 1m33.855s. Sergio Pérez achieved third with a time of 1m34.717s with the red rubber, the same time Sainz had previously achieved with the hard tires and with a difference of eight tenths compared to the Dutchman. The Mexican improved to 1m34.638s.
In the final 10 minutes the majority placed the soft rubber. Sainz took first place with a time of 1m33.602s, beating the three-time world champion by two tenths. Fernando Alonso took his Aston Martin to third at 0.510s while Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top five.
Liam Lawson placed sixth with Alex Albon and his Williams in seventh moving Checo Pérez to eighth.
Franco Colapinto rose to 11th position with his Williams with a time of 1m35.248s.
Leclerc jumped to second position in the final three minutes, 0.021 seconds behind Sainz. Verstappen took third followed by the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completing the top five.
Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen, Alonso, Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg closed the top 10.
Sergio Pérez crossed the finish line in 16th place with a long run on soft tires in the final part. Franco Colapinto finished 19th.
More from F1:
