Steiermark GP: Respectable FP3 for Williams Racing

Team Summary:
It was announced that Bottas after a pit lane spin in Friday practice had been awarded a three place grid penalty. With the start of the Saturday practice session it would be the Haas cars out first both on hard tyres. After issues on Friday Gasly would complete an instllation lap on the soft tyre to check out the work done on his car. Schumacher would set a 1m:11.787 then a 1m:11.238. After seven lap runs both would pit. Ocon was next out running on the medium joined by Alonso on the same tyre. Raikkonen was next out on the soft tyre with over ten minutes of the session completed. Ocon would set a 1m:07.353 only to see Alonso set a 1m:07.031 to be quickest. Raikkonen would move ahead with a 1m:06.778 with fifteen minutes completed.

More drivers started to come out including the first of the Williams. Ocon was now quickest after Raikkonen's time was deleted. The second Williams was now running while Alonso was again quickest followed by Giovinazzi and Raikkonen. But a Williams would go quickest with a 1m:06.454, seeing the pair first and sixth. Gasly was now second followed by Leclerc and Alonso. On the soft tyre Bottas would go quickest with a 1m:06.212. Tsunoda would move into second followed by George and Gasly. Sainz was now second from Leclerc and George. Bottas had improved with a 1m:06.063 from now Sainz and Gasly. Sainz was on the medium tyre. The Williams drivers were now fifth and 14th. As we had Verstappen now quickest with a 1m:05.571 now followed by Hamilton and Bottas all on the soft tyer.

On the medium tyre Tsunoda was now second ahead of Hamilton. Verstappen would set a 1m:04.971 to be ahead of Gasly and Bottas. Verstappen was now 0.7 ahead of second. The Williams drivers were now tenth and 19th. With twenty five minutes remaining Verstappen was quickest from Hamilton, Gasly, Bottas, Perez, Tsunoda, Leclerc, Giovinazzi, Sainz and Vettel tenth. With twenty minutes remaining the track was now quite empty with just two cars running. The track was now clear as drivers prepared for their qualifying simulations. The track would become very busy with drivers back out on the soft tyre. Hamilton was now quickest with a 1m:04.369 to move ahead of Bottas.

Quite a few lap times would be deleted seeing drivers well down the times including both McLarens. Five minutes remaining and Hamilton was still leading from Bottas and Verstappen. The Williams drivers were currently 14th and 18th. Both Williams drivers were on longer runs on the soft tyre. Verstappen would only set a 1m:04.573 to only manage second behind Hamilton. Bottas was third followed by Perez, Tsunoda, Gasly, Leclerc, Alonso, Stroll and Vettel tenth. The Williams drivers were 14th and 18th as the session finished. The drivers were again allowed to complete practice starts on the grid.

Nicholas Latifi:
Nicholas would be first of the Williams drivers to come out running on the medium tyre. Nicholas would set a 1m:06.853 to be second dropping to fifth. This would become ninth then 14th as others went quicker. This would become 19th as Nicholas pitted after a ten lap run on the medium tyre. Nicholas would return on the soft tyre for his qualifying simulation. A 1m:06.458 from Nicholas to be 15th. He would drop to 15th. A 1m:06.187 from Nicholas would see him 13th then 14th right behind his team-mate. This would become 18th to be behind Ricciardo. He would pit after an eight lap run.

George Russell:
Shortly after Nicholas George would come out for his first run using the medium tyre. He would would go quickest with a 1m:06.454. He would drop to be fourth then slowly he would drop to tenth. A 1m:06.364 from George would see him eighth dropping to tenth. He would pit after an eleven lap run. In his pit he would drop to 12th. George would follow his team-mate out also using the soft tyre. A 1m:06.161 would see George tenth. This would become 12th. He would find more pace with a 1m:05.865 but remained 13th. He would drop to 14th with under ten minutes remaining. He would pit after a nine lap run.