British GP: Williams limits track time in FP3

It would be a damp and chilly start to the day at the Silverstone circuit as the Williams Martini team prepared for their final practice session for the 2014 British Grand Prix. It had been raining but the rain had stopped in the lead-up to the session. With the start of the session it would be Sutil out first with the track suitable for the intermediate tyre. For the Williams team Valtteri Bottas would come out first pitting after just one lap. Some drivers were using the full wet tyre rather than use one of the limited number of intermediate tyre. With ten minutes of the session completed everyone had completed their installation lap with only the two Mercedes cars on the track.

With fifteen minutes of the session completed it would be the Caterham's that would set the first times with Ericsson fastest with a 1m:57.091, followed by Kobayashi. We now had both Torro Rosso cars out on the track along with Bianchi. Both of the Williams cars were running on the full wet tyre as Kvyat set a 1m:56.404 to be quickest. But Vergne would move ahead with a 1m:55.236. More drivers were coming out including Maldonado, Magnussen, and Rosberg. Kvyat would go fastest with a 1m:54.657 running on the intermediate tyre. Rosberg was also on the intermediate tyre but would pit without setting a tyre. Magnussen would set a 1m:4=54.092 to be quickest with thirty five minutes remaining. Maldonado was now fourth with a time of 1m:54.763.

Other drivers including Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Ricciardo and Button were all out on the track with most drivers using the intermediate tyre. Grosjean was now second, 1m:54.305, with just over thirty minutes remaining. But Ricciardo would set a time of 1m:52.631 to be easily quickest by 1.2 seconds. Button was down in seventh as we had Vettel and Perez also take to the track. This would become eighth as Raikkonen went fifth. Button would improve to be fourth, 1m:54.041. a 1m:53.566 from Grosjean to see him second. Vettel would move up to fifth, 1m:54.162. We still had yet to see either of the Williams cars take to the track as Vettel went fastest with a 1m:52.522 to make it a Red Bull one-two. Maldonado would also improve to be third with a time of 1m:53.475.

Hamilton would leave the pit lane but would go off at Stowe and would pit without setting a time. With twenty minutes remaining we had Vettel from Ricciardo, Maldonado, Grosjean, Magnussen, Button, Sutil, Raikkonen, Vergne and Kvyat tenth. More rain was falling as we only had Bianchi and Gutierrez out on the track. Bianchi would go off at Stowe running across the gravel with the front of his car hitting the tyre barrier gently. Both Red Bull cars were back out on the track along with Kvyat. Neither of the Mercedes or Williams cars had set a time as both Red Bull cars pitted. Alonso had also yet to set a time and was out of his car relaxing at the back of his pit. With ten minutes remaining the first of the Williams cars of Valtteri would come out shortly after followed by Felipe. Valtteri was on the full wet and Felipe the intermediate. Both Force India cars were out on the track with both on the intermediate tyre.

Valtteri would set a 1m:54.217 to be seventh, followed by Sutil and Kvyat. Felipe would set a 1m:55.003 to be twelfth. Valtteri would pit as Kvyat moved up to fifth, 1m:53.794. Felipe would also pit as the final minutes counted down. The top five cars were all Renault powered but the Mercedes powered cars had done little running. Neither of the Mercedes team cars had set a time as Sutil would improve to be fifth with a time of 1m:53.585. The session would come to an end with the Williams cars ninth and twelfth with Valtteri leading Felipe. Both drivers had only completed four laps most likely with the team try to save the cars as well as tyres. The top ten was Vettel from Ricciardo, Maldonado, Grosjean, Sutil, Kvyat, Magnussen, Button, Valtteri, and Raikkonen. It was not a session where the Williams team really learnt anything it was more the case of the drivers getting a fell for the track.

Pos  Driver            Team		    Time      Laps
 1.  Sebastian Vettel  Red Bull-Renault     1m52.522s  6
 2.  Daniel Ricciardo  Red Bull-Renault     1m52.631s  6
 3.  Pastor Maldonado  Lotus-Renault        1m53.044s  10
 4.  Romain Grosjean   Lotus-Renault        1m53.566s  6
 5.  Adrian Sutil      Sauber-Ferrari       1m53.585s  12
 6.  Daniil Kvyat      Toro Rosso-Renault   1m53.654s  15
 7.  Kevin Magnussen   McLaren-Mercedes     1m53.911s  5
 8.  Jenson Button     McLaren-Mercedes     1m54.041s  6
 9.  Valtteri Bottas   Williams-Mercedes    1m54.217s  4
10.  Kimi Raikkonen    Ferrari              1m54.558s  5
11.  Jean-Eric Vergne  Toro Rosso-Renault   1m54.602s  6
12.  Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari       1m54.761s  13
13.  Felipe Massa      Williams-Mercedes    1m55.003s  4
14.  Nico Hulkenberg   Force India-Mercedes 1m55.688s  6
15.  Sergio Perez      Force India-Mercedes 1m56.918s  7
16.  Marcus Ericsson   Caterham-Renault     1m57.091s  10
17.  Jules Bianchi     Marussia-Ferrari     1m57.566s  6
18.  Kamui Kobayashi   Caterham-Renault     1m57.914s  10
19.  Max Chilton       Marussia-Ferrari                1
20.  Fernando Alonso   Ferrari                         4
21.  Nico Rosberg      Mercedes                        4
22.  Lewis Hamilton    Mercedes                        5