Ferrari to the fore in final practice, but just half a tenth covers Leclerc, Vettel and Hamilton; Gasly continues to lead Verstappen
Saturday 13 July 2019 13:22, UK
Charles Leclerc pipped Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton to the fastest time of Practice Three, as Ferrari moved ahead of Mercedes to offer promise of a two-team fight for British GP pole position.
There was just half a tenth in it between the two Ferraris and Hamilton, the world championship leader.
"For the sake of the show, that's what we want to see. I'm sure Ferrari are going to be up there in qualifying, pressurising Mercedes" said Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson.
Red Bull were fourth and fifth fastest on Saturday morning, with Pierre Gasly their lead runner for the third consecutive session as he steadily pieces a much-needed strong weekend together.
Valtteri Bottas did not hook up a strong lap on the soft tyres and finished seventh, just ahead of Lando Norris for McLaren who continues to catch the eye on his British GP debut.
Renault, meanwhile, returned to the top 10 with Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, while British-born rookie Alex Albon also continued to run strongly for Toro Rosso.
Ferrari a genuine threat to Mercedes?
While the gusty wind which had repeatedly caught drivers out on Friday had subsided by the time of final practice, leaden skies and an early rain shower meant conditions remained challenging for drivers around one of F1's fastest circuits.
Mercedes, as usual, are holding an advantage through corners over Ferrari, but the Northamptonshire track's many flat-out sections are also playing to the Scuderia's main strength - engine power.
After the quiet first half of P3 as the track became damp and then dried, Ferrari quickly showed considerably more speed than Friday with Leclerc, as in France and Austria, leading their challenge on the timesheet.
His final time of 1:25.905 was 0.026s faster than Vettel and a 0.049s quicker than Hamilton, with Gasly two tenths back in the lead Red Bull.
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