Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas set the fastest time during the brief dry window that was available to drivers before heavy rain struck the final practice session for Formula 1's French Grand Prix.
Clouds bubbled up around Paul Ricard during the morning and heavy rain showers swept in across the venue shortly after the one-hour session began at 13:00 local time.
There was sufficient time for a handful of drivers to set one timed lap on dry rubber prior to the deluge, with Bottas clocking an effort of 1:33.666.
It was over a second slower than the benchmark set by Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in hot and sunny conditions during Friday afternoon’s second session.
The track remained devoid of activity for much of the hour, with only a handful of drivers emerging on Wet tyres during the closing stages of the session.
No driver completed more than five laps.
Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jr. was second, 1.287s behind Bottas, with Sauber’s Charles Leclerc in third position.
McLaren pair Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne sandwiched Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
Pierre Gasly was seventh, while Marcus Ericsson was eighth, the Swede briefly returning to action after his Friday running was compromised by his fiery crash in the first session.
Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo, six seconds down on Bottas’ time, finished at the foot of the top 10, with five drivers not setting a timed effort.
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