Verstappen dominates rain-hit FP3 at Spa-Francorchamps as Stroll crashes out
Max Verstappen showcased his prowess on a treacherous Spa-Francorchamps circuit, finishing at the top of the timesheets in the third and final practice session marred by persistent rain and a significant crash involving Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
After a largely dry opening day, Saturday’s session began under wet conditions with overnight showers continuing through the morning. As FP3 commenced at 12:30 local time, drivers opted for intermediate and wet tyres to navigate the soaked track.
With rain intensifying five to ten minutes into the session, as predicted by Daniel Ricciardo’s race engineer, several drivers quickly took to the track, recording lap times ranging between 2 minutes and 2 minutes 30 seconds. As conditions worsened, notable moments included Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda running wide and sliding through the gravel at the Les Combes section.
The session saw a major incident when Lance Stroll lost control of his Aston Martin at Eau Rouge, subsequently crashing into the inside wall. This brought out the red flags and caused significant damage to his car, sidelining him for the remainder of FP3.
After Stroll’s car was cleared and the Canadian driver checked at the Medical Centre as a precaution, the session resumed with Verstappen's early time of 2m 01.565s still standing as the benchmark.
Despite the green light at the pit lane, teams were hesitant to send their drivers back onto the increasingly wet track. The session was briefly halted again 25 minutes before the end due to worsening conditions, allowing only for a few practice starts when action finally resumed with mere minutes to go.
Verstappen's time, almost 20 seconds slower than Friday’s fastest lap in dry conditions, remained unbeaten. Oscar Piastri trailed 1.4 seconds behind in second, followed by Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon’s Alpines, who surrounded Norris's McLaren. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari completed the top six as Stroll lingered on the sidelines.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloValtteri Bottas placed eighth for Alfa Romeo, followed by Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. Williams' Alex Albon, Haas's Nico Hulkenberg, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso rounded out the next slots, finishing P11 to P13 respectively.
The AlphaTauri cars of Ricciardo and Tsunoda occupied 14th and 15th spots, while Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo and Logan Sargeant of Williams were at the rear with completed lap times. George Russell (Mercedes), Kevin Magnussen (Haas), and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) ended the session without posting competitive times.
As drivers and teams debrief and make final setup adjustments, all eyes are on the qualifying session scheduled for later this afternoon. Given the unpredictable weather, strategies could prove pivotal at Spa-Francorchamps.
