The weather forecasts indicated that the drivers would have to deal with a complicated Saturday at the 2022 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, and that is that the rain would make an appearance during the last free practice sessions. That made it difficult for the single-seaters to get out on the road, but the teams had to gather as much information as possible for qualifying and the race, since it was possible that the asphalt would continue to be wet.
However, it was not an impediment for Nicholas Latifi to get the best time in FP3 at the Hungaroring circuit with a record that he set at the end of the session with the intermediate tires. Behind the surprising Canadian finished Charles Leclerc, who saw how the Williams overtook him when the checkered flag fell and who earlier had a spin that could end his session, but was able to regain control of his Ferrari in time.
Another surprise was Alexander Albon, who finished in third place, followed by Max Verstappen who set the fourth fastest time. Behind them was George Russell, who managed to finish fifth, although he was able to lap faster than Fernando Alonso’s Alpine and Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, who seem to have saved something for qualifying.
Closing the top ten positions were the McLaren of Lando Norris, one of the names of the grand prix, Sebastian Vettel, who ended up against the protections shortly before the end of the session, and the renewed Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix FP3 Results 2022
Cla | Pilot | Chassis | laps | Weather | Difference | Km/h | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Williams | 17 | 1’41.480 | 155.415 | |||
2 | Ferrari | 14 | 1’42.141 | 0.661 | 154.410 | ||
3 | williams | 19 | 1’42.381 | 0.901 | 154.048 | ||
4 | Red Bull | 10 | 1’43.205 | 1.725 | 152.818 | ||
5 | Mercedes | 13 | 1’43.434 | 1.954 | 152.479 | ||
6 | Alpine | 16 | 1’43.570 | 2.090 | 152.279 | ||
7 | ferrari | fifteen | 1,43,589 | 2,109 | 152,251 | ||
8 | McLaren | 13 | 1’43.743 | 2.263 | 152.025 | ||
9 | Aston Martin | 14 | 1’44.178 | 2.698 | 151.390 | ||
10 | Haas | 20 | 1’44,655 | 3,175 | 150,700 | ||
see results |
Summary of the FP3 of the Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 Formula 1
Although any underwater lap in a top-class car is useful for collecting data, the drivers started the final practice of the Hungarian Grand Prix calmly, with only the Ferraris taking to the track in the opening minutes of the session. , when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz played it with the extreme rain tires.
The Hungaroring track was very wet, even the Monegasque had to skip the second sector chicane to avoid going into the gravel at the moment he lost control of his F1-75 when attempting his first spin. However, that did not prevent the Monaco from taking the lead with a 1:43.364 , almost a second faster than his partner.
His rivals were not long in getting on the track, and Lando Norris was next, although the one who surprised the most was Fernando Alonso, who after celebrating his 41st birthday , went out on the track with a set of intermediate tires. This meant that as soon as he left the pitlane he had to correct the line with his Alpine, showing how difficult it is to drive in those rainy conditions with a single-seater.
The man from Oviedo, despite not being on the ideal compound at that moment, rose to third place, which became fifth when the renewed Aston Martins with a controversial new rear wing placed third and fourth, with Sebastian Vettel ahead of Lance Stroll, but more than two seconds behind the Ferraris.
After 20 minutes , the only ones who had not lapped were the two Red Bulls and Lewis Hamilton, who preferred to reserve for the moment when the amount of water on the track was not so high, which also reduced the risk of having an accident and compromise the ranking.
Near the halfway point of the session , some got a little more excited to test the conditions of the track, just at the moment in which Mick Schumacher’s Haas climbed to third position, thus being the only driver to come down from the barrier of the two seconds ahead of the temporary leader, Charles Leclerc.
He also wanted to go out on the asphalt, which has seen him win eight times, Lewis Hamilton, who could not make a very competitive time, but the other Haas, Kevin Magnussen’s, who when it stopped raining set the fourth best time, even reaching a makes the record for one of the sectors . He was not the only one who beat his previous mark, since Vettel was placed eight tenths behind Ferrari’s Monegasque in second place.
The first scare of the day came from Pierre Gasly, who was involved in a spin in the intermediate sector, but without major consequences, while Lando Norris rose to fourth position, even with extreme rain tires.
With just over 20 minutes to go , many drivers were encouraged to go out with a set of intermediate tires, following the path opened by Fernando Alonso, who beat the mark of the last sector but did not improve the overall time of his lap because he lost the back of his A522 in one of the curves.
With the exception of Alex Albon and George Russell, everyone who was shooting was doing it with the intermissions, so it was more than possible that the entire leaderboard order would change radically in a few minutes. However, nobody could be careless, as any small mistake could send the car into the wall, as happened with Leclerc, who spun and regained control immediately afterwards to avoid misfortune.
The world leader, Max Verstappen, who had not yet given any really competitive lap, was in last position, but when he was able to make a sharp turn he placed ninth, almost two seconds behind the Monegasque’s Ferrari. However, the intermediate tire worked as Alonso moved into second, just two tenths behind Leclerc with 10 minutes remaining to see the checkered flag.
At that moment the first red flag of the day appeared, caused by one of the protagonists of the weekend, Sebastian Vettel , who went wide in the second sector and crashed into the barriers, trapping his AMR22.
With four minutes to go, the stewards waved the green flag again, allowing the drivers to try out a little qualifying simulation with the intermediates. That put Verstappen into the lead, but it didn’t last long as Leclerc responded with a 1m42.141s to be the best of the day.
However, everything changed at the end , as Nicholas Latifi climbed to the top spot just as the checkered flag fell, followed by Ferrari’s Monegasque, his teammate Alex Albon, Max Verstappen and George Russell, while the Spaniards, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, were sixth and seventh.
Gallery: the best photographs of the FP3 of the Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 Formula 1
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