Vettel gains the upper hand in FP3 - Hamilton in trouble

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Sebastian Vettel headed the timesheets in the ultimate free practice session before this afternoon's Austrian Grand Prix qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton topped most of the 60-minute running before a late charge on Ultrasoft tyres by his title rival who clocked a 1:05.092 lap which was 0.269s clear of the Mercedes.

Hamilton was tempted to better Vettel's time but suffered a brake issue upon the entry of Turn 3 on his flying lap. The Brit managed to bring his Silver Arrows back to the pits at slow speed and the team is currently investigating the issue which appaers to be linked to a disc failure.

Team mate Valtteri Bottas was third, with Kimi Raikkonen right behind. Max Verstappen led the Red Bull charge in P5, with Daniel Ricciardo snapping at his heels.

Haas' Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean were strong contenders in the morning session while Dany Kvyat and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten for Toro Rosso.

Free Practice 3 results

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:05.092s		18
2	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:05.361s	+ 0.269s	21
3	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:05.515s	+ 0.423s	19
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:05.611s	+ 0.519s	19
5	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:05.784s	+ 0.692s	24
6	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:05.896s	+ 0.804s	29
7	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:05.936s	+ 0.844s	21
8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:06.015s	+ 0.923s	22
9	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:06.279s	+ 1.187s	28
10	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:06.284s	+ 1.192s	19
11	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:06.374s	+ 1.282s	26
12	Nico Hülkenberg	Renault	1:06.563s	+ 1.471s	18
13	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:06.578s	+ 1.486s	18
14	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:06.595s	+ 1.503s	22
15	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:06.599s	+ 1.507s	20
16	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:06.776s	+ 1.684s	22
17	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:06.865s	+ 1.773s	24
18	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:06.875s	+ 1.783s	28
19	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:07.378s	+ 2.286s	21
20	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	1:07.468s	+ 2.376s	25

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.