After interrupted sessions on Friday, the drivers were out to make up for lost time in the final hour of practice before Australian Grand Prix qualifying.

No rain around this time for the drivers, at first anyway, meaning it was a busy track from the very start in FP3 as the teams and drivers made up for Friday’s lost time.

It was not only the weather which restricted running yesterday though, as a GPS issue in the opening session only added to the losses.

The initial flurry of push laps ended with Sainz in top spot, the Ferrari driver going two-tenths clear of Alonso when he swapped the medium rubber for soft.

Perez tried to join the action after an extended stay in the garage to start his session, but his opening lap was wrecked when he came across the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg dawdling on the racing line, who almost proceeded to collect the Red Bull driver as he cut across his path.

And as the session ticked past halfway there was another obstruction for all in the form of a red flag with debris on the track at Turn 9, someone seemingly having given the wall a major whack.

As it turned out, it was part of Nyck de Vries’ engine cover which had fallen off, the FIA heading down to the AlphaTauri garage in pursuit of an explanation, while Perez’s latest attempt at a flying lap ended with a trip over the gravel at Turn 3 as the track went green again.

Lando Norris’ session ended early with a clutch problem, while Zhou Guanyu avoided disaster after a trip over the grass and a spin at Turn 2. He was fine to carry on as soon as he found reverse gear.

Verstappen had no such dramas as he topped the session ahead of Alonso and Ocon.

PlanetF1.com recommends

Why Sergio Perez feels ready to take on Max Verstappen for 2023 title fight
Toto Wolff warns fans not to expect ‘miracles’ before Imola upgrades
Charles Leclerc hails progress made at Ferrari after ‘most positive’ practice of 2023

FP3 times:

1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing 1:17.565
2 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +0.162
3 Esteban OCON Alpine +0.373
4 George RUSSELL Mercedes +0.390
5 Pierre GASLY Alpine +0.529
6 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing +0.558
7 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +0.562
8 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +0.573
9 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +0.633
10 Guanyu ZHOU Alfa Romeo +0.765
11 Nico HULKENBERG Haas F1 Team +0.845
12 Alexander ALBON Williams +0.988
13 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +1.126
14 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +1.148
15 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo +1.244
16 Yuki TSUNODA AlphaTauri +1.336
17 Logan SARGEANT Williams +1.382
18 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team +1.491
19 Nyck DE VRIES AlphaTauri +1.527
20 Lando NORRIS McLaren +1.581

The article F1 2023 results: FP3 timings from Australian Grand Prix practice appeared first on Planetf1.com.