The final practice session in Barcelona took place in scorching heat, with temperatures soaring high above 40 degrees. With qualifying scheduled for much later, FP2 remained the most representative session of the weekend for the teams. There wasn’t much traffic at the start of the third practice, but the home matador, Alonso, was among the first out, waving to the packed grandstands.
More cars joined the action around 20 minutes into the session. Leclerc and Hamilton jumped to the top two spots, followed by local hero Sainz. The Ferrari drivers opted for diverging strategies, with Leclerc on softs and Hamilton on mediums. Russell then went on to set the fastest time around the halfway mark, confirming that Mercedes may be better suited to this track than their performance in Monaco suggested.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda complained about sliding, and Piastri reported something hard in his seat that was bothering him while driving. He returned to the garage to allow the mechanics to fix the issue.
Antonelli supported the idea that Mercedes are back, going P2 behind his more experienced teammate. Other rookies didn’t have as much success. Lawson had a moment in the dirty air, just managing to correct a snap with a quick counter-steer. Bearman went too wide after a mistake and lightly touched the gravel – fortunately without any visible damage. Bortoleto and Colapinto remained at the bottom of the timesheets, showing no sign of improvement.
With 20 minutes left, most cars returned to the garage, seemingly satisfied with the data gathered ahead of qualifying. Colapinto had the most laps completed at this point, with 16 to his name.
A notable shift in the order came with 16 minutes left, when Verstappen emerged on softs and posted a rapid lap, good enough for P1. Norris, however, had to take the escape route, ruining his first push lap on soft tyres. Alonso jumped to P3 much to the delight of the home crowd.
With 10 minutes to go, the field headed out for qualifying simulations. McLaren posted a 1-2, with Leclerc in P3 – although the Ferrari driver was over seven tenths off the lead. Norris received an interesting radio message: the team noticed porpoising in turn 9 and advised him to pit so they could raise the rear ride height. Indeed, he was losing over five tenths to his teammate.
The session ended just like that – another McLaren 1-2, with Leclerc in third, and Hamilton complaining about malfunctioning gear shifts.
All signs point to a three-way fight for pole. Alongside the internal battle at McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull look set to be in the mix. Ferrari could still play a key role – perhaps more in the race than in qualifying. And with 18 past winners having started from pole here, Saturday’s session will once again be crucial.