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• Only 0.074 seconds covers the top four positions
• Sainz is ahead of Norris
• Two separate clashes on track

Local hero Sainz edged Norris by just 0.030 seconds to lead FP3 with a time of 1:13.013 minutes, but the spotlight at the end of the session was on his teammate.

Leclerc had Norris on his left at the entrance to Turn 7/8, then Leclerc moved and made minor contact with the McLaren driver in a move that looked like an act of revenge.

Both drivers continued but Leclerc – visibly angry inside the cockpit – directed a single expletive at Ferrari over the team radio.

“He just hit me, I think I got damaged,” Norris told McLaren.

The incident is being investigated and both Leclerc and Norris will interview the stewards after the hearing.

Oddly enough, this was not the only on-track clash in third practice.

Lance Stroll and Lewis Hamilton will also watch the hosts after the session after a round at Turn 5.

Stroll found Hamilton in his path during the flying lap and then made contact with Hamilton on the left-hander’s exit.

This and** The man thinks he is alone on track, Stroll told his team while Hamilton said he had not seen the Aston Martin driver.

Very close session

Norris was the first to beat Hamilton’s benchmark in FP2 after the 45-minute session with a time of 1:13.043 seconds.

That time was set on his second lap on that set of soft tires after he had to abandon his first lap when he encountered traffic in the final sector, suggesting there is more time to come from the McLaren.

Leclerc was fastest in both sectors one and two, but had to settle for third place overall, just 0.037 seconds behind his leading teammate Sainz.

Max Verstappen finished fourth for Red Bull, although he was only 0.074 seconds slower than Sainz’s best driver.

George Russell and Hamilton were fifth and sixth for Mercedes, the latter losing time on his final lap by dipping a wheel into the gravel.

A similar gravel trip meant that Oscar Piastri was only 10th in the second McLaren.

Sergio Perez, who will be subject to a three-place drop penalty this weekend, finished seventh in the second Red Bull car, ahead of Alex Albon and Fernando Alonso.