Oscar Piastri headed the session from Lando Norris, a reversal of how the papaya pair ended Friday’s running.
Lewis Hamilton improved late in the session to finish third with Max Verstappen fourth and Carlos Sainz fifth to make for a competitive gaggle at the front of the field.
It was also a hugely promising session for Jack Doohan, the Aussie finishing up in 14th but within a whisker of Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly on single lap pace.
The afternoon timeslot for Free Practice 2 meant it was a slow start given conditions were not reflective of the remainder of the weekend.
Doohan made the most of them anyway, banking some early laps to continue his weekend preparations.
He put his Alpine fastest in the early stages with a 1:25.633s, a steady early effort as he looked to build on what was a solid Friday.
It took 20 minutes before the circuit came to life, but even when it did the times were far from rapid.
Kevin Magnussen, for instance, went fastest with a 1:24.470s, a time that would have left him 10th in Free Practice 2 yesterday.
It was a time that lasted for some 20 minutes, even when others bolted on soft tyres.
On Friday, a battery change for Charles Leclerc saw him cop a 10-place grid penalty.
In Free Practice 3, concerns were raised for his team-mate when Carlos Sainz’s car began smoking midway through the final hour of practice.
After a spell in the garage, Sainz was soon back out on track, rising to second fastest with a 1:24.631s as Magnussen somehow remained fastest.
The Ferrari driver’s time came on the medium rubber, as had Verstappen’s who sat third at the time, while the leading Haas had used softs.
The concerns surrounding Sainz were eased when Leclerc’s car displayed the same behaviour, suggesting it was the floor (as opposed to the floor) rubbing on the ground.
As the session progressed, drivers began improving through the first and third sectors.
That suggested engines that had been turned well down, given the middle sector essentially accounts for the run through the two back straights.
Magnussen’s time at the top eventually came to an end as the qualifying simulations proper began, Alex Albon going fastest with a 1:24.378s.
The Williams driver was not happy, reporting a significant shift in balance over the course of his flying lap.
There were further promising sings for Doohan, who logged a 1:24.434s on his quali sim, a time just 0.026s slower than Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly.
Doohan had held back during Free Practice 2 on his performance run, using it as an opportunity to lay a benchmark on which to build on.
It’s precisely what he did with 12 minutes remaining.
It was a time that was quickly pushed down the order, but that was largely irrelevant as the more meaningful marker was how closely the two Alpines were match.
Given the final minutes of the session most closely resembled the conditions expected in qualifying the circuit became busy.
That saw McLaren resume their place atop the timesheets from Friday, this time with Piastri clear of Norris.
Verstappen was third despite complaining about his front brakes, a strong improvement from the confused pace Red Bull Racing displayed yesterday.
Then came Sainz for Ferrari while Leclerc complained of being “nowhere” as he could do no better than ninth.
With a penalty looming over him, his side of the Scuderia’s garage had different priorities, with a car set-up more capable of working its way though traffic than running clear at the front.
George Russell was next best, the leading six covered by just over six-tenths.
With a mixture of programs and engine modes, that’s expected to close significantly come qualifying later today.
For the moment, McLaren holds the upper hand though its advantage looks greater than it is.
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