FP3: Hamilton heads field after final practice

Lewis Hamilton continued where he left off on Friday, topping the final practice session from Melbourne.

The Briton's fastest lap, set on the soft tyre, read 1:22.292 which was three-tenths of a second quicker than his fastest time yesterday. 

The Ferrari duo of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc were second and third respectively, with Vettel two and a half tenths behind rival Hamilton.

After Friday running, Vettel claimed that Mercedes was in a league of its own after blitzing the field, but it now appears the Scuderia outfit has closed the gap overnight. 

Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes made a mistake on his qualifying simulation and ended the session in seventh place, 1.1 seconds down on his pace-setting teammate.

Haas set some promising lap times ahead of the opening qualifying session of the year, with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen slotting into fourth and fifth place respectively.

Pierre Gasly was sixth, but Red Bull didn't conduct a proper low fuel run throughout the day. His teammate Max Verstappen was ninth, behind Daniil Kvyat but ahead of former partner Daniel Ricciardo, who rounded out the top ten.

There were no major dramas during the session other than Robert Kubica touching the wall on the pit lane entry, losing a small part of his Williams that once again brought up the rear of the field.

George Russell, who was once again the faster of the two Williams, was 1.4 seconds behind Lando Norris, his nearest competitor on the track.

Both Alfa Romeo's ended up outside the top ten, as did the Racing Point pair and the McLaren duo. 

AU Albert Park - 16 March 2019

Replies (0)

Login to reply

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

World Championship standings 2025

Show full world champion standings

Test calendar

See full test schedule

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2025

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
14 - Mar 16 2025
Australia
21 - Mar 23 2025
China
4 - Apr 6 2025
Japan
11 - Apr 13 2025
Bahrain
18 - Apr 20 2025
Saudi Arabia
2 - May 4 2025
United States of America
16 - May 18 2025
Italy
23 - May 25 2025
Monaco
30 - Jun 1 2025
Spain
13 - Jun 15 2025
Canada
27 - Jun 29 2025
Austria
4 - Jul 6 2025
United Kingdom
25 - Jul 27 2025
Belgium
1 - Aug 3 2025
Hungary
29 - Aug 31 2025
Netherlands
5 - Sep 7 2025
Italy
19 - Sep 21 2025
Azerbaijan
3 - Oct 5 2025
Singapore
17 - Oct 19 2025
United States of America
24 - Oct 26 2025
Mexico
7 - Nov 9 2025
Brazil
21 - Nov 23 2025
United States of America
28 - Nov 30 2025
Qatar
5 - Dec 7 2025
United Arab Emirates
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2025

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
14 - Mar 16 2025
Australia Albert Park
21 - Mar 23 2025
4 - Apr 6 2025
11 - Apr 13 2025
18 - Apr 20 2025
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
2 - May 4 2025
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
16 - May 18 2025
23 - May 25 2025
Monaco Monte Carlo
30 - Jun 1 2025
13 - Jun 15 2025
27 - Jun 29 2025
Austria Red Bull Ring
4 - Jul 6 2025
United Kingdom Silverstone
25 - Jul 27 2025
1 - Aug 3 2025
Hungary Hungaroring
29 - Aug 31 2025
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
5 - Sep 7 2025
Italy Monza
19 - Sep 21 2025
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
3 - Oct 5 2025
17 - Oct 19 2025
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
24 - Oct 26 2025
7 - Nov 9 2025
Brazil Interlagos
21 - Nov 23 2025
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
28 - Nov 30 2025
5 - Dec 7 2025
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Ferrari
  • Points 3,533
  • Podiums 132
  • Grand Prix 232
  • Country GB
  • Date of b. Jan 7 1985 (41)
  • Place of b. Tewin, GB
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.74 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar