George Russell went quickest in the final Free Practice at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Max Verstappen was unable to complete his final lap, finishing the session in second ahead of Alex Albon.
This Weekend So Far…
Charles Leclerc was the early front runner in Free Practice 1 in Las Vegas. With many drivers struggling with grip on the dusty desert track, it was Leclerc who lead with a 1.34.802 ahead of Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda.
Free Practice 2 ended early, after the marshals bought out two red flags for a loose drain hole cover. While most drivers were complaining of low grip, Lando Norris managed to bank a 1.33.602 around the street circuit. Championship contender Oscar Piastri had a frustrating session with many red and yellow flags ending his runs. Leclerc suffered a steering failure in the final moments before the red flag, however he still managed to finish the session in third. Kimi Antonelli continued to perform, sliding into second on the timesheet.
Drizzly Start to FP3
It was a drizzly start to the final practice session. The temperature was cold and the track was damp as the drivers tricked out of their garages. Piastri, who was looking to bank some solid laps after a slow Thursday, was first on the track.
Intermediates were the tyre choice for the start of the session, with Piastri claiming it was “too wet for slicks”. After 10 minutes, Lewis Hamilton was atop of the timesheets, leading Verstappen and Piastri.
15 Minutes Down
With the track only three years old, none of the field had driven on a damp Las Vegas track. It was a tentative start for most of the field with Oliver Bearman, both Aston Martins, both Alpines and both Saubers still in their garages. However, Norris jumped to the top of the field with a 1:43.078 after two purple sectors.
The McLarens, Racing Bulls as well as Hamilton and Verstappen had the pace at the start off the session. Tsunoda, who is needed good results to secure his 2026 seat, was called back into the pits with a punctured tire.
From Inters to Slicks
After the first half an hour of Free Practice 3, Norris was the first to pull out the slicks, opting for the soft tyres around the 6.2km circuit. However, with the track still damp, and the tyres too cold, Norris was unable to bank a quicker lap. With rain imminent, Hamilton and Piastri were next on track with the softs, with Piastri setting the fastest final sector.
There was chaos on track as the times began to drop. Leclerc was once again atop of a free practice session with a 1:41.867, ahead of Tsunoda and Vertsappen. Hamilton almost ran into the back of Lawson, after a backlog of cars were on the racing line.
Verstappen went fastest with a 1:39.156 before Tsunoda to the top of the timesheets, over two and a half tenths quicker than his teammate. Hamilton was the first driver into the 1:37’s as the times continues to drop.
10 Minutes To Go
With 10 minutes to go, almost all of the cars were out on track. With all attention on qualifying later today, the times were dropping quick. Verstappen topped the timesheet with a 1:35.646, followed by George Russell and Leclerc.
Norris, who has been in dominant form the past few races, went fastest through the second sector before pulling into the pits. With four minuets to go, Gabriel Bortoleto set the fastest first sector before Liam lawson went fastest with a 1:35.637.
The times continued to drop with Russel going quickest by over seven tenths, before Albon went even faster. Vertsappen was dominant around the streets of Las Vegas once again, going quickest through the first two sectors. The four time World Champion, banked a 1:34.281. Piastri, who was sitting in 18th was called into the pits after electrical issues.
Checkered Flag on FP3
The checkered flag flew for George Russell, who once again made his way to the top of the timesheets. Verstappen had to abort his final lap after going wide into the run off area, ending the session in second. Albon ended the session in third, with many of the traditional front runners in the back end of the field.
After failing to go out for final runs, McLaren ended the session in 19th and 20th. While Hamilton was able to find his footing in fifth, his teammate, Leclerc only managed 15th around the desert track. Tsunoda, who had some promising runs, ended the session in 18th.
After an unusual final free practice, it is all to play for in Qualifying at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Qualifying will begin at 8pm local time (GMT-8).