George Russell topped the F1 FP3 for the 2024 Las Vegas GP ahead of Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz after Lance Stroll brought an early end to the session.
A Slow Start to the Session
The Sauber of Zhou Guanyu was the only driver to exit the pitlane as FP3 began. Many drivers had yet to get in the cockpit when the session started.
Perez was the first to set a flying lap on a medium tyre, struggling for pace. A common theme of the weekend, drivers were reporting it was slippery.
The news of the weekend was still Red Bull’s underperforming rear wing, which was slowing them down on the straights. Mercedes were scrubbing hard tyres for the race by taking them out for a lap or two.
After the issues with the pit lane entry line yesterday, the line was brightened overnight to improve visibility.
The two Red Bulls exited the pitlane while the rest of the grid stayed in the pits. Verstappen instantly locked up, struggling for grip. He set a 1:42.180, later improving on this by over two tenths.
Lando Norris’s soft-tyre flying lap was almost seven-tenths behind Verstappen. He had a few issues throughout the lap.
Tsunoda jumped to the top of the timing sheets with a 1:37.517, over three seconds faster than Max Verstappen. The track was still second slower than it was in the first two practice sessions.
The Halfway Point
Most of the drivers were finally setting laps on soft tyres about halfway through the session. The two McLarens were on top with a little over 30 minutes left in the session. Piastri’s time was nearly a second faster than the rest of the field.
The times continued to tumble as the track was gaining grip. Verstappen reported over the radio that his car was “undriveable” after going off track.
It was a Haas one-two with 27 minutes left on the clock as Verstappen pit after struggling with his car.
Hamilton jumped to P1, setting two purple sectors along the way. Russell joined him at the top as the Mercedes looked to be continuing their good form from yesterday.
As the rest of the grid pit, Red Bull took to the track to finally set qualifying simulations. A handful of drivers followed their lead.
Verstappen set the fastest time of the session on his soft-tyre run, reporting the car felt better. The drivers were all back on track setting their final few laps.
A Late Red Flag
Lance Stroll brought out the red flag after stopping on the side of the track. Smoke was escaping from the car in multiple places.
The session resumed with one minute left on the clock. Every driver exited the pits except for Sergio Perez, who failed to get on track before the checkered flag flew.
The two VCARBS almost collided as the cars were making their way around the track for the final time before qualifying.
Lance Stroll caused a late red flag, resulting in George Russell in P1 ahead of the McLaren of Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in FP3 for the 2024 F1 Las Vegas GP.
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