Lando Norris leads after 3rd practice at F1′s Australian GP

Melbourne, April 9 (BUS): McLaren driver Lando Norris set the fastest time in an eventful final training session at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Saturday.

The Associated Press (AP) said 22-year-old Norris completed a lap of Albert Park in one minute, 19.117, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc 0.132sec second in a two-red flag session.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez set the third fastest time, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished 0.779 seconds behind Norris, the eighth fastest on the course.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who set the fastest time in P1 on Friday, finished fifth in Saturday’s practice session, while Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished second at McLaren in the first six games when he finished 576 seconds behind teammate Norris.

But the final training session before qualifying, which takes place later on Saturday, proved difficult for Aston Martin, with their drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll hitting walls.

The first red flag was issued 21 minutes into P3 when Vettel lost control of Turn 10, putting his Aston Martin in the nose of the fender first to finish his session.

The light turned green with 28 minutes remaining in the session, but a red flag was produced again when Stroll hit a wall in Turn 11.

Vettel’s crash, who missed the first two races of the season due to COVID-19, continues the test return to racing for the four-time world champion.

He completed 18 laps in P1 on Friday before an engine failure halted his Aston Martin.

He was then fined 5,000 euros ($5,500) for taking a motorcycle to ride on Albert Park to return to the pits during the session in violation of Formula 1 track safety rules.

Leclerc won the season-opening race in Bahrain, and series holder Max Verstappen, who was seventh fastest in final practice on Saturday, finished second in Saudi Arabia, both in March.

In a major revamp of the Melbourne track, five corners at Albert Park were reshaped and two removed altogether, meaning practice times were generally five seconds faster than previous races.

After two races, Leclerc leads the Drivers’ Championship with 45 points, followed by Sainz with 33 points and Verstappen with 25.

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