Norris Fastest Ahead of Qualifying
On Saturday morning, teams and drivers continued their preparations for qualifying, focusing on fine-tuning car setups and studying tire behavior over longer runs.The main objective was to find the optimal balance between outright speed and tire wear over race distance.
Following Friday’s sessions, when cars having lost some of their usual downforce frequently locked up and ran off track, conditions noticeably stabilized. In the third practice, the drivers appeared more composed, and the number of errors was significantly reduced.
The session began on the harder compounds, Hard and Medium, which are expected to play an important role in Sunday’s race. Teams then switched to the faster Soft compound to evaluate pace on shorter stints. As the circuit gradually became coated with rubber, grip levels improved, allowing drivers to attack the track with greater confidence.
Ferrari experimented with slipstream tactics: Charles Leclerc provided a tow to those behind, including Lewis Hamilton, which enabled the Briton to set the fastest time in the first sector. However, rivals later went even quicker. There was also controversy when Isack Hadjar rejoined the track after an off, in violation of the Race Director’s instructions an incident that will be reviewed by the stewards.
At the top of the timesheets was Lando Norris, setting a lap of 1:19.331. Charles Leclerc finished just two hundredths of a second behind,setting the stage for an extremely close qualifying session where even the smallest mistake could determine crucial grid positions for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
