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The 2023 F1 British GP FP3 was a bit dull as rain intervened after only 25 minutes of running. Until then, major champions like Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had yet to set their laps on the soft tyres, and there would be a bit of preparation before qualifying.
Having said that, the qualifying session is likely to be in wet conditions, so most of the dry rides we had in the first three practice sessions could have been inconsequential.
However, there were some key points from the session that are worth keeping an eye on. lets take alook.
2023 F1 British GP FP3: What have we learned?
#1 Max Verstappen is the benchmark no matter the circumstances
No matter the circumstances, it will be an uphill effort to beat Max Verstappen at the 2023 F1 British Grand Prix. Even in the playoffs, aside from the fact that we can have variable conditions in play, it’s hard to look beyond Max.
For any team or driver to be successful in these circumstances, there needs to be an astute ability to consistently make the right calls at the right time. There’s no better team than Red Bull at that, and once you add Max Verstappen’s talent you have almost an unbeatable force on hand.
In qualifying for the 2023 F1 British GP, Verstappen is the heavy favorite, and it would be foolish to bet on him.
#2 Charles Leclerc seems to have restored his magic against Carlos Sainz
Charles Leclerc has been a bit of a concern against Sainz in recent races. The young Ferrari prodigy revealed after the race in Austria that he did not feel comfortable in the car.
On the other hand, Carlos Sainz had been chasing him throughout the race in Austria and continued to wring more performance out of the car.
Fast forward to the 2023 F1 British Grand Prix, and we have Leclerc finding his feet again. The Ferrari driver is back to extract the best from the car and get much needed results.
It will be interesting to see how Leclerc fares in qualifying, but his minimal run in FP3 showed he’s back to do what he does best.
#3 Mercedes looks much better during Saturday’s session
Mercedes’ long distances were impressive until Friday, but the main area where the team seemed to struggle was due to laps. Neither driver could find performance on one lap and struggled a lot with the car’s balance.
Fast forward to Saturday, and both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell seem happier with the car.
Hamilton seems to have two legs above Russell when we compare the two drivers, but overall, Mercedes seems to have made the step it needed to be where it wanted to be in the end.
#4 Williams is a real Q3 threat
The lap times set by Williams on Friday didn’t make sense. It made even less sense when long distances were also very competitive.
All of this just showed that the car’s engine mode was either turned on for a great series of types or that the new tires introduced for the 2023 F1 British GP were at play.
In FP3, Williams appears to be a solid car around Silverstone. Is she fast enough to be a contender for the front runners? No, this does not happen. However, it could be a real contender for a segment in Q3.
The team could be targeting points at the 2023 F1 British Grand Prix, as the signs look positive this time around.
#5 Rain can turn the model book upside down
Finally, let’s get one thing straight. While Max Verstappen may be the benchmark, the rain tends to be a great equalizer in these cases.
In qualifying, it may all come down to the driver playing the right form at the right time in the right car. Once that happens we can just throw the formbook of the three practice sessions for the 2023 F1 British GP into the trash.
Success in wet weather requires a lot of things to be in place, and so we could see a surprise or two at the end of the session.
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