Eifel GP: Bottas leads Hamilton, Leclerc in FP3
Valtteri Bottas set the pace for Mercedes as Formula 1 drivers finally got on-track at the Nurburgring in practice for the Eifel Grand Prix on Saturday morning.

After rain and fog prevented any running from taking place on Friday at the Nurburgring, teams were left to condense all of their programmes into the final one-hour practice session ahead of qualifying.
The FIA had altered its protocols to ensure the sessions could go ahead even in a repeat of Friday’s weather conditions, only for bright sunshine to greet the drivers ahead of Saturday's running.
A busy session followed that saw teams spend very little time in the garage, with the initial pace being set by the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon on the medium-compound tyre.
Verstappen was able to retain his advantage at the head of the timesheets after the initial round of soft-tyre runs, only for Mercedes’ Bottas to improve with his second effect, moving one-tenth of a second clear of the field.
A final set of qualifying simulation runs saw Bottas improve his lap time by seven-tenths of a second, setting the benchmark for Verstappen and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to try and match.
But both Verstappen and Hamilton were forced to back off at the final corner on their first qualifying simulations after a spin for Williams’ Nicholas Latifi brought out yellow flags.
Hamilton managed to get in a second qualifying simulation on the softs that lifted him up to second, but was one-tenth shy of Bottas’ time of 1m26.225s.
A late surge saw Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc end the session third-fastest, having requested some changes be made to his car prior to his final runs. He ended the session within half a second of Bottas’ time.
Verstappen wound up fourth overall for Red Bull, reporting a lack of front grip throughout FP3, but finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the second Ferrari, who recovered from an early spin to take fifth overall.
Lando Norris finished the session sixth for McLaren ahead of Sergio Perez, who was the sole Racing Point driver taking part in FP3 after teammate Lance Stroll was forced out through illness.
Racing Point reported that Stroll was “not feeling 100%” and would sit out final practice.
A final decision on his participation in qualifying is set to be made after the session, with Nico Hulkenberg on standby for the team should Stroll be unfit for the rest of the weekend.
Daniel Ricciardo took eighth for Renault ahead of Albon, while Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 for AlphaTauri.
Esteban Ocon finished the session 11th ahead of Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz, with Kimi Raikkonen finishing 14th for Alfa Romeo.
Haas pair Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen wound up 15th and 16th respectively. Grosjean took a moment during the session to tell his engineer that it was a “beautiful track”, returning to the site of his 2013 podium for Lotus.
George Russell ended final practice 17th for Williams despite a spin at the chicane that left him sliding across the grass, albeit falling short of the wall and thus avoiding damage. Antonio Giovinazzi followed in 18th ahead of Latifi, who was the last driver to set a time in P19.
FP3 results:
Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | ![]() | Mercedes | 25 | 1'26.225 | |
2 | | ![]() | Mercedes | 27 | 1'26.361 | 0.136 |
3 | | ![]() | Ferrari | 25 | 1'26.681 | 0.456 |
4 | | ![]() | Red Bull | 24 | 1'26.896 | 0.671 |
5 | | ![]() | Ferrari | 25 | 1'27.038 | 0.813 |
6 | | ![]() | McLaren | 29 | 1'27.167 | 0.942 |
7 | | ![]() | Racing Point | 25 | 1'27.245 | 1.020 |
8 | | ![]() | Renault | 23 | 1'27.392 | 1.167 |
9 | | ![]() | Red Bull | 23 | 1'27.449 | 1.224 |
10 | | ![]() | AlphaTauri | 28 | 1'27.528 | 1.303 |
11 | | ![]() | Renault | 27 | 1'27.634 | 1.409 |
12 | | ![]() | AlphaTauri | 26 | 1'27.795 | 1.570 |
13 | | ![]() | McLaren | 29 | 1'27.924 | 1.699 |
14 | | ![]() | Alfa Romeo | 25 | 1'27.956 | 1.731 |
15 | | ![]() | Haas | 27 | 1'28.115 | 1.890 |
16 | | ![]() | Haas | 27 | 1'28.293 | 2.068 |
17 | | ![]() | Williams | 30 | 1'28.343 | 2.118 |
18 | | ![]() | Alfa Romeo | 25 | 1'28.370 | 2.145 |
19 | | ![]() | Williams | 26 | 1'28.941 | 2.716 |
View full results |
Related video

Previous article
Unwell Stroll misses Nurburgring FP3, Hulkenberg on stand-by
Next article
Hulkenberg replaces Stroll at Racing Point for Eifel GP

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | Eifel GP |
Sub-event | FP3 |
Author | Luke Smith |
Eifel GP: Bottas leads Hamilton, Leclerc in FP3
Trending
The defining traits that set F1’s best apart
What makes the very best drivers in Formula 1 stand out among what is already a highly elite bunch? Andrew Benson takes a closer look at those with the special blend of skill, judgment, feel and attitude that sets only a select few apart from the rest.
The updates Williams hopes will lead to a point-scoring return
After producing a car which demonstrated progress but lacked the points to prove it last year, Williams starts its new era of team ownership with the FW43B, its bid to continue the climb up the Formula 1 grid in 2021
How Ferrari plans to recover from its 2020 F1 nightmare
The 2020 Formula 1 season was Ferrari's worst for 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the standings. A repeat performance will not be acceptable for the proud Italian team, which has adopted a notably pragmatic approach to forging its path back to the top
Why Aston Martin’s arrival is more than just new green livery
In the most eagerly anticipated Formula 1 team launch of the season, the rebranded Aston Martin squad’s changes go much further than the striking paint job. But rather than a restart, the team hopes to build on top of solid foundations.
The car Aston Martin begins its new F1 journey with
The team formerly known as Racing Point gambled successfully on a Mercedes look-alike in 2020 as it mounted a strong challenge for third in the constructors' race and won the Sakhir GP. Now clothed in British racing green, Aston Martin's first Formula 1 challenger since 1960 provides the clearest indicator yet of what to expect from the new-for-2021 regulations
The tricky driver conundrums facing Mercedes in F1 2021
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, reigning world champions Mercedes will take on challenges both old and new. This also can be said for its driver conundrum which could become key to sustaining its ongoing success...
How Alpine's cure to 2021 F1 rules starts at the front
A new name, new faces and new colours pulls the rebranded Alpine Formula 1 team into a new era while carrying over core elements of its 2020 car. But under the surface there's more than meets the eye with the A521 which hints at how the team will tackle 2021...
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat