Max ninth in final Interlagos practice session

Published on 11 November 2017 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen finished the final free practice session of the Brazilian Grand Prix in ninth place. The Dutchman failed to post a competitive time during qualifying simulations after spin in the closing stages of the session. Mercedes once again led the field with Valtteri Bottas fastest ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton. The two Ferraris were third and fourth, with Kimi Raikkonen edging out Sebastian Vettel.

Ten minutes into FP3, a Virtual Safety Car is called out after Lance Stroll’s Williams has come to a stand still on track. After the circuit is cleared, most drivers – bar the Red Bulls – are putting in lap after lap.

It is not until twenty-five minutes into the session that we see both Red Bulls on track. Apart from a installation lap on the medium compound, Max has not yet set a time but he opens his account with a five-lap stint on the soft Pirelli compound.

In the final quarter, the teams shift their focus to qualifying runs with the cars on low-fuel and super-soft tyres. In his first run, Max out brakes himself, followed by a spectacular spin in turn 13 on his second timed effort. “It’s unbelievable, so much understeer”, Max tells the team.

In the end, Max finishes the session in ninth, whilst the Mercedes and Ferrari occupy the front two rows.

Brazilian Grand Prix - Autodrome Jose Carlos Pace - Saturday 11 November

FREE PRACTICE 3 RESULTS

01 77 Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes                    1:09.281          24
02 44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes                    1:09.284 +0.003s  26
03  7 Kimi Raikkonen      Ferrari                     1:09.326 +0.045s  20
04  5 Sebastian Vettel    Ferrari                     1:09.339 +0.058s  21
05  3 Daniel Ricciardo    Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:10.244 +0.963s  14
06 14 Fernando Alonso     McLaren Honda               1:10.288 +1.007s  15
07 11 Sergio Perez        Force India Mercedes        1:10.322 +1.041s  21
08 31 Esteban Ocon        Force India Mercedes        1:10.357 +1.076s  23
09 33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:10.495 +1.214s  9
10 55 Carlos Sainz        Renault                     1:10.599 +1.318s  23
11  2 Stoffel Vandoorne   McLaren Honda               1:10.637 +1.356s  21
12 19 Felipe Massa        Williams Mercedes           1:10.671 +1.390s  14
13 20 Kevin Magnussen     Haas Ferrari                1:10.721 +1.440s  19
14 27 Nico Hulkenberg     Renault                     1:10.743 +1.462s  18
15  8 Romain Grosjean     Haas Ferrari                1:10.762 +1.481s  20
16 10 Pierre Gasly        Toro Rosso                  1:10.981 +1.700s  32
17 28 Brendon Hartley     Toro Rosso                  1:11.085 +1.804s  30
18 94 Pascal Wehrlein     Sauber Ferrari              1:11.126 +1.845s  25
19  9 Marcus Ericsson     Sauber Ferrari              1:11.480 +2.199s  27
20 18 Lance Stroll        Williams Mercedes                             1

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