Latifi leads TL3 affected by wet track at Hungaroring

Nicholas Latifi topped the timesheets in the third free practice session, with his Williams teammate Alex Albon third. The team was the last to cross the line on a track that was drying out. Charles Leclerc beat Max Verstappen by one second, predicting a very exciting qualifying session.

Hungaroring experienced a deluge about 60 minutes before the start of TL3. As the build-up developed, the rain subsided. No teams ran onto the track, but it was Ferrari that chose to do the drying work with Carlos Sainz and Leclerc going out on the circuit first.

There was a brief period when questions were asked about the intermediate tire, and Fernando Alonso gave them a chance. The rain got worse and that was the end of the activity for the first 30 minutes.

The circuit got much busier in the next 30 minutes, with most using intermediate tires. The meteorologists predict that qualifying will be completed in very similar conditions, so the teams and drivers tried to learn everything possible for this afternoon. If the conditions remain the same, it will be very challenging for the drivers.

Mercedes had problems with the tires warming up. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell reported that they had no grip on the green tire. Favored for pole, Leclerc almost threw it all away. He did a 360-degree spin, but managed to avoid the wall. Sebastian Vettel and Russell also spent some time off the track in the final 15 minutes of the session.

Vettel, who announced he will retire from the sport in Abu Dhabi, brought out the red flag after pushing a little too hard at turn 10. He spun and slid into the barriers backwards, raising question marks about his gearbox. The track was improving, with Alonso coming in P2, making it a good session for the birthday driver.

Despite Vettel's crash, Aston Martin had a good session. McLaren were not as close to the top compared to yesterday, but it was still a positive result for them, with Lando Norris spending much of the session in the top five.

Sergio Perez didn't like the conditions and finished 20th. Latifi stole the spotlight in the final seconds of the session to record the best time for the first time in Formula 1.

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