Manama: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the third free practice session for the British Grand Prix, edging out his rivals in what promises to be a closely contested race on Sunday. Leclerc clocked a time of 1:25.498 on the famous 5.891 km Silverstone circuit, finishing ahead of Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren) by 0.068 seconds and Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by 0.087 seconds.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Britain's Lando Norris (McLaren) was fourth, 0.108 seconds behind Leclerc, while Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) finished eleventh after a technical issue ruined his fast lap at the end of the session. The session saw some dramatic incidents, with Brazil's Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) crashing into the barriers and Britain's Oliver Bearman (Haas) having an accident at the pit lane entry.
This race marks the halfway point of the current Formula 1 season, as the twelfth of 24 races. Piastri leads the drivers' standings by 15 points from Norris, with Verstappen third, 61 points behind.