#F1 #LasVegasGP #FP3: @GeorgeRussell63 pips @Max33Verstappen by 0.227s.

Russell Las Vegas FP3 – Mercedes’ George Russell topped the final practice session at the Las Vegas GP ahead of reigning world champion Max Verstappen who was second for Red Bull as Atlassian Williams Racing’s Alexander Albon completed the top three. McLaren pairing and title contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were down in 19^th and 20^th due to electrical problems.

Russell set the session-topping benchmark of a 1:34.054 on the C5 red-marked softer tyre and was 0.227 seconds clear of Verstappen who made an error locking up into turn 12 on his final flyer and could have went even quicker whilst Albon was a further 0.827 seconds adrift in third.

Piastri suffered telemetry issues whilst championship leader Norris had an electronics problem.

After a couple of minute lull of no activity, championship contender Piastri was the first to emerge on a set of green-branded intermediates to venture out on the damp Las Vegas Strip Circuit along with Ferrari’s Sir Lewis Hamilton and Haas’s Oliver Bearman.

The Australian was the first to post a lap-time of a 1:47.162 as Hamilton slotted into second with his 1:48.241 to be 1.079 seconds off.

Piastri also reported that his tyres were already going off and that it still was not ready for the slicks.

Esteban Ocon in the other VF-25 entry moved into third with his 1:48.926 effort.

Norris set a 1:46.806 to go quickest, but only briefly as his team-mate jumped to P1 with a 1:46.576 but Hamilton then retook top spot on a 1:45.758 as Verstappen slotted into second with his 1:46.561 to be 0.803 off Hamilton’s best time.

Verstappen improved on his lap-time to be 0.087 seconds off Hamilton at the 12^th minute mark of proceedings and the lap-times slowly continued to tumble.

Replays showed Williams’ Alexander Albon slip into the turn five run-off area and turned his car around to keep going as his team-mate Carlos Sainz with three personal bests slotted into fifth in the order.

Norris then returned to P1 with his 1:45.010, which was beaten by Hamilton’s 1:44.514 then Piastri went fastest setting a 1:43.896 as RB’s Isack Hadjar went into fourth and was 1:443 seconds off Piastri’s benchmark.

Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari into 11^th on his initial flying lap on the intermediates, the Monegasque who pulled off the track yesterday after a steering wheel issue according to the Scuderia.

Verstappen moved back into third posting a 1:44.565 just past the opening quarter of the final 60-minute practice session before qualifying.

Leclerc improved to seventh overall to end up 1.940 seconds adrift of Piastri’s best time.

Hamilton then reclaimed P1 on a 1:43.137 but then was ousted by championship leader Norris who set a 1:43.078 to be 0.059 seconds clear of the seven-time world champion.

Replays showed a piece of bodywear fallen off RB’s Liam Lawson’s VCARB02 racer on the Strip as Mercedes’ George Russell planted his Silver Arrow sixth in the classification to be 1.775 seconds off Norris’s best time.

Verstappen at the 19^th-minute mark, jumped to fourth on 1:43.777 with Lawson jumping to fifth and ending up 0.975 off Norris at the head of the times.

Hamilton with a purple sector three took back P1 with a 1:42.809 to be 0.269 ahead of Norris just past the 21^st-minute mark of the session.

Russell was next with three personal bests to slot into third posting a 1:43.102 whilst Hadjar despite a purple sector one and two personal bests only moved up into fifth overall to be 0.508 seconds off Hamilton’s effort.

Verstappen on his ninth tour on the inters went to sixth with his 1:43.493 as the field began returning to their garages for a setup adjustment.

Antonelli was next on his flyer moved to sixth in the order setting a 1:43.479 as his Mercedes team-mate Russell split the McLaren’s in third with his 1:43.101 after two personal best sectors.

Replays showed Leclerc almost brush the wall.

Verstappen then jumped to fifth on his 12^th lap on the inters to end up 0.479 seconds off Hamilton’s 1:42.809 effort as the session approached the end of the first half of the hour-long session.

Norris was the first to emerge on a set of the C5 red side-walled softer compound tyres and warming them up whilst Antonelli next on his flyer.

The Italian improved to second in the order with his 1:42.991 after a purple opening sector and two personal bests.

The majority of the field other than Norris or Antonelli were the only cars on circuit as rain was expected in three minutes at the 28^th minutes remaining mark of the session.

Antonelli was told by Race Engineer Bono that the soft tyres were “way off” at the moment as more drivers began to come out on that C5 compound.

Piastri still remained in fifth despite getting a purple sector three time on the softs.

Hamilton was on course to improving to set the quickest lap on the softs and managed to survive a close call with Lawson, coming in hot and having to take avoiding action at the very last possible moment.

Lawson was in a queue of three cars, but they were all on the racing line and needed warning there that Hamilton was on a push lap.

Leclerc jumped to P1 with a 1:41.867 on the softs as Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda slotted into second to be 0.632 seconds off the Monegasque driver’s time.

Verstappen jumped to third behind his team-mate with two personal bests to end up 0.747 seconds off Leclerc’s benchmark on the softs.

Verstappen then improved to the top of the pile on a 1:39.156 as Lawson placed his VCARB02 entry to end up 2.164 seconds off the Dutchman in second.

Tsunoda then took P1 with a 1:38.896 to take the place off his team-mate, but only briefly as Leclerc returned to the head of the times setting a 1:38.251 with two purples in sectors one and three to be 0.645 clear of the Red Bull driver.

Hamilton pipped his team-mate Leclerc with his 1:37.315 second effort to go 0.936 seconds at the top of the time-sheets.

Russell then split the Ferrari duo in second and was 0.882 seconds off former team-mate Hamilton’s best time with 16 minutes left on the clock.

Reigning world champion Verstappen then put his RB21 entry back on top setting a 1:36,820 to be almost half-a-second clear of Hamilton’s best time as Tsunoda slotted into second.

Leclerc then pushed with two purples to retake P1 posting a 1:36.469 to be 0.351 clear of Verstappen with less than a quarter of the session remaining with the rain not hitting the track just yet.

Hamilton then snatched top spot of his team-mate Leclerc with a purple sector three and a 1:36,284 effort and was 0.185 seconds clear.

Russell then returned to third in the order with his 1:36,532 effort, but Verstappen with three purple sectors reclaimed P1 setting a 1:35.646 to be 0.638 clear of Hamilton.

Leclerc improved to second to be 0.262 off the Dutchman’s benchmark.

Tsunoda with two personal bests could only reach sixth in the order and ended up 1.021 seconds adrift of team-mate Verstappen’s best time.

Russell with a purple middle sector jumped up to second to be 0.088 seconds off Verstappen with less than nine minutes left on the clock as the times continued to tumble.

Russell’s team-mate Antonelli slotted into fifth with his 1:36.482 as Norris was out on his hot-lap on the softs.

The championship leader set a personal best opening sector and purple middle sector but abandoned his flying lap. The Briton was down in 11^th whilst his fellow team-mate and title contender Piastri was a low-19^th.

Piastri improved to only 12^th in the order with his qualifying simulation stint and was 1.377 seconds off of Verstappen’s best time.

Lawson then went fastest with a 1:35.637 after a solid purple sector three to be a very narrow 0.009 seconds ahead of Verstappen whilst Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto slotted into fourth place and 0.101 seconds off Lawson.

Williams’ Alexander Albon then went fastest with his 1:34.875 and was 0.024 seconds clear of Russell, which was then ousted by Verstappen’s 1:34.281.

The Dutchman was over 0.594 seconds clear of Albon as Hamilton and Antonelli slotted into fourth and fifth respectively and were both 0.988 and 1.104 seconds off Verstappen in the classification.

Russell with two purple sectors then pushed to top spot with a 1:34.054 as Verstappen on his flying lap ran off into the turn 12 run-off area with replays showing Bortoleto, Leclerc and Alonso moments before also having the same issue.

The session ended with Russell on top with Verstappen second as Albon rounded out the top three.

Hadjar improved to fourth and in-front of Hamilton who placed fifth and Antonelli who took sixth in the classification.

The other Racing Bull of Lawson ended final practice seventh and ahead of Aston Martin duo Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso who were eighth and ninth respectively whilst Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.

You can see the full Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 Free Practice 3 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/races/1274/las-vegas/practice/3

2025 F1 World Championship Standings